Perplexity
by Totoromo
Summary: ByaxIchi. Canon, after the war. Renji is missing but got Rukia pregnant, Ichi is trying to protect Rukia, Byakuya thinks Ichigo got Rukia pregnant, just as he's coming to grips with his own attraction towards Ichigo. Yaoi. Romance/Drama/Humor
1. Confusion

**Title:** Perplexity

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Rating:** M, sex, language, some blood/battle. Yaoi, Het inferred but not detailed.

**Description:** ByakuyaxIchigo. Canon, set after the war. Renji, the father of Rukia's unborn child, is missing. Ichigo made a promise to Renji protect Rukia no matter what so he stands by her. Byakuya is still coming to grips with his attraction to Ichigo when he "finds out" that Ichigo got Rukia pregnant. Now he has to live with Ichigo, trying to fight his love for the man he thinks loves his sister.

**Disclaimer:** Bleach is created and owned by Tite Kubo, I merely pay homage to characters and a story I love.

**Beta:** Chain of Fate

_**A/N:**__ I've been sick and not able to go out, which means I get to gift you with lots and lots of writing!_

_**Warnings for this chapter:**__ This fic is going to be pretty dramatic and angsty at points, so I'm counter that with some wackiness at times. This is one of those chapters. Beware of hallucinations/dreams, fake genderbending, and the appearance (but not really) of RenjixIchigoxByakuya. Also there's some RenjixRukia. Then shit gets serious, lots of blood._

**Perplexity: **

1: the state of being perplexed: Bewilderment

2: something that perplexes

3: Entanglement

**Confusion**

"_Love is like a friendship caught on fire." – Bruce Lee_

* * *

Renji tried not to be impatient waiting for his captain to return to the Squad 6 office, but his captain was never late for his tea and it was currently sitting on his desk cooling. He had made a new blend. The card had said it was special made for Captain Kuchiki, although Renji hadn't turned it around to see thaton the back it said, "Compliments of Squad 12", because otherwise he would never have made it. He certainly wouldn't have drunk it, which is what he decided to do now. 'I'll just have to make another hot batch when he gets here', he thought to himself, sipping on the small handle less, hand painted tea cup he had set out originally for his captain. 'Wow, this stuff sure makes you hot', he thought fuzzily, before drifting off to sleep.

Ichigo and Byakuya both burst into the office at the same time. "RENJI!" they shouted.

"Whoa, what happened to you guys?" Renji asked, eyeballing them unashamedly.

He definitely would have recalled if his captain was sporting Rangiku-sized breasts, and would have noticed that Ichigo had such a feminine face and plush rose colored lips.

"Don't look at him that way," Byakuya said, wrapping her delicately muscled arms around Ichigo protectively.

"What's with the change in attitude? Why are you touching him?" Renji asked.

"I think it's whatever changed us. I feel closer to Ichigo now. Maybe it's just a…female thing…," Byakuya said.

"So you guys are like both fully female right now?" Renji asked.

"Isn't it terrible?" Ichigo cried into Byakuya's arms, her long eyelashes catching her tears, her now shoulder length hair slightly sticking to her face.

"Uh huh, terrible," Renji pretended to agree, still ogling the two.

"Don't be such a dog," his captain scolded, her low**,** sensual voice causing shivers down Renji's spine. Her hair was waist length now, and her shihakusho needed to be closed more**,** since Renji doubted that his captain wanted to be flashing cleavage. Then again, with breasts like that, maybe she couldn't help it.

Renji stood up and slowly walked towards the pair, enjoying seeing the two of them together. "I told Rukia that you liked Ichigo but she didn't believe me," he said.

"I do not like him…her," Byakuya claimed, quickly letting go of Ichigo's small waist.

"Oh no, don't stop touching her. By all means hold onto her," Renji said.

Ichigo was looking at him now, her defined jaw having become more pointed andher lips full and bow like.

"So**,** uh, remember how you used to have a crush on me, Ichigo?" Renji said, still moving closer.

"Don't bring that up again," Ichigo replied sadly.

"I'm just saying that if you ever wanted to do anything, this is the time," Renji moved up to Ichigo and wrapped his arms around her.

"What? Really?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm not letting you take her out of my sight!" Byakuya claimed.

"Oh, that's even better," Renji said, walking backwards into Byakuya office, Ichigo still in his arms and Byakuya following them closely. He closed the door behind him and turned to face them, his lust evident on his face.

The time frame jumped. Renji didn't really know how he had gotten there, but they were all naked and on Byakuya's futon. Ichigo was leaning back into Byakuya's arm, Byakuya's hands around Ichigo's full breasts, her own face etched with pleasure as she sucked on Ichigo's neck. Ichigo was moaning as Renji was pumping into her.

"Oh, Ichigo…" Renji moaned.

"EXCUSE me?" his captain asked.

Renji popped an eye open. He was so shocked he fell backwards off of his chair. He jumped up. "When did you stop being a girl?" he asked.

Byakuya's eyebrows rose so hard they almost escaped his face. "I'm going to ignore that and ask why you are dreaming about Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Oh, sorry Captain, I know you have a thing for him," Renji said. He realized that before had been a dream. "Wait, no…that's not what I meant. In my dream you had a thing for him. And you were both women. Wait, no… that's not what I meant to say either…"

"Renji, are you okay?" his captain asked.

"Besides, I don't like Ichigo OR you, I like R…" He suddenly slapped his hand over his mouth.

"Who?" His captain asked with deadly intent, leaning forward.

"R-r…" All of a sudden someone walked in the door. "RIKICHI!" Renji said.

"Um, Lieutenant?" Rikichi asked.

"Oh shit, not Rikichi. I mean, I don't like him."

"You don't, sir?" Rikichi said, a little sadly.

"Oh, I mean, I like you well enough – but not romantically."

"Sir?"

"I mean…err…Renji starts with R too. That's what I meant."

"You meant to say that you like yourself?" his captain asked.

"Um…yeah…man you had great breasts. Where did they go?" Renji asked.

"RENJI!" Rikichi said in shock.

Captain Kuchiki, at this time, had noticed the open box of new tea and read the card. "Did you drink this?" he asked Renji.

"I made some for you**,** but then you were late so I drank it. I'm sorry, I'll make you some more," Renji apologized.

"This is from Squad 12. You do know that, don't you?" his captain told him.

"Oh no, I guess I didn't read that part. Oh well, it tastes great anyways," Renji replied.

"It has made you…high…or drunk…," his captain said, looking at him with what was almost concern, but mixed with distain.

"Oh, well I…"

"Please, just stop talking. Try to get your work done," his captain ordered him, leaving.

Rikichi left too, after being asked what sized boobs he thought he'd have if he was a woman.

Rukia walked in.

"Rukia!" Renji jumped up and gave her a sweeping hug, swinging her around the room.

"Um, hi Renji," she said breathlessly.

"I love you, you know that?" Renji said.

"I love you too, Renji," Rukia replied.

"I don't mean as a friend. I mean that if you were to ever kiss me I'd probably dream about it for months. I mean, I dream about you anyways. Except when you're brother is a chick, but he was into Ichigo anyways, plus that was kind of a onetime thing, because…"

"Renji, what's wrong with you?" Rukia was blushing furiously at this point.

"Renji, what are you saying to my sister?" Byakuya said from his office door.

"I think he's sick!" Rukia covered Renji's mouth before he could answer. "Maybe I should take him home."

"He's ingested something from Squad 12," Byakuya told her. "Perhaps you are rightin that he should just go home."

"I'll escort him to make sure he makes it home," Rukia said.

Byakuya nodded.

"Oh Rukia," Renji had his arms wrapped around her. "It's so nice when you hold me this way."

"You weigh a ton…you'd better start walking or I'm going to fall over," Rukia said.

Renji did one better, sweepingRukia up into his arms and carrying her to his quarters. She was red faced the whole way but decided that she'd wait on beating him until he was more lucid.

It was in the early evening that Renji woke up the futon in his living room, cuddled around Rukia. His heart started to beat faster. 'Oh my god, what did I say?' he tried to recall. He, unfortunately, remembered it all. He groaned, but still didn't let go of her little body.

"Did you mean it?" she asked, noticing he was awake and a lot calmer.

"I…yeah…"

"You're such an idiot," she told him, facing him. "Why didn't you say something back then?"

"Back when?"

"Back before I left. I would have stayed if you had asked me to," she told him softly.

"Really?" Renji said, grabbing her hand and lifting it to his face. She wasn't protesting so he kissed it delicately. She didn't pull away so Renji drew her closer.

* * *

_One Year Later – Hueco Mundo_

"You have to promise me," Renji said, stopping to cough up blood. "You promise me you'll take care of her."

"You'll take care of her, Renji," Ichigo replied, tears in his eyes.

"Look, if I don't…"

"Just…shut up," Ichigo said. "I…I don't want to leave you but I have to find someone to heal you…I won't leave you here, okay?"

"Don't go until you promise me. Promise me that you'll look after Rukia just like I would," Renji said, clasping Ichigo's hand tightly.

"Of course," Ichigo promised, trying to ignore the fact that his hand was now sticky with Renji's blood. "I swear it."

"Thank you," Renji said. "I just love her so much…and I can't bear to think of not coming home to…"

"STOP," Ichigo insisted. "Please, stop saying stuff like that. I'll be right back; I just need to go over the ridge to find some Squad 4 guys."

* * *

_Captain's Meeting – The Seireitei_

"I'm sorry for the interruption, sirs, but we've been informed that the away party into Hueco Mundo has received serious casualties and…" Byakuya's brain was traveling a million miles a minute. Was Renji okay? But also…was Ichigo…

"Excuse me. Do you know whether my lieutenant was injured?" Byakuya asked, interrupting the man.

"He is…" the man didn't finish, stopping to listen to the commotion at the door. Byakuya's spirits rose when he sensed who was making the racket. Of course it was Ichigo, who else had the capacity for such destructive… But, what was wrong with him? Byakuya frowned at the fluctuating spiritual pressure. He looked across to see every captain staring intently at the door.

"Please let Lieutenant Kurosaki in," Head Captain Yamamoto told the guards with a sigh. They opened the door to see Ichigo yelling at the doormen. He looked up and walked in, stumbling, splattering his blood on the ground.

"Ichigo!" his captain ran to him.

"Captain Ukitake," Ichigo said, looking at him. "Please you have to let me back. You have to let me go back!"

"What?"

"Renji…they dragged me off…they made me leave him there! God damn it, he's alive! He was just injured…why the hell…I have to…" Ichigo was becoming incoherent. He shambled over to Byakuya and raised a bloody fist to his haori, pulling on it to balance himself. "Byakuya, send someone for him, please… I'm begging you…" Tears were in his eyes.

"I will, of course, send people," Byakuya clasped that bloody hand and met those bloodshot eyes.

"Thank you…thank you so much," Ichigo said. "I-I can't hold it in any longer…" he said, falling to his knees.

Byakuya went white and bent down to the lieutenant. "Lieutenant Kurosaki, are you…"

Ichigo sighed and then a hundred wounds opened up at once, pouring out blood. His spiritual pressure dimmed and he fell to the wooden floor.

* * *

_A/N: So a little everywhere so far, but do you like? This is going to be a slow burn ByakuyaxIchigo. Because you just know that even if they didn't have obstacles in the way they'd both be stubborn about it._


	2. Misunderstanding

**Misunderstanding**

_Hate leaves ugly scars, love leaves beautiful ones. - Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook_

* * *

"You're checking in on him?" Captain Unohana asked.

"I merely wanted to know if he was available to answer questions. If he could give me a better understanding of where it was that he left my lieutenant, it would be helpful," Byakuya answered.

"You can try to talk to him. He should be lucid. He used a lot of spiritual pressure keeping his wounds closed for as long as he did and is now very weak, though."

"I wouldn't have thought that he had that much control over his spiritual pressure. Captain Ukitake must be training him," Byakuya responded.

"I think it was purely instinctual. It's a possibility that he could have just laid there and bled to death if he hadn't reacted. Everyone in the party aside from him and the two who came back with him is dead or perhaps captured. Have you found everyone left behind yet?"

"No," Byakuya replied, not elaborating.

Captain Unohana wasn't offended. No matter what he said, the man seemed like he really did want to see Ichigo. Why he couldn't admit to having a friendship with the boy was beyond her. "He's in the room at the end of the hall on the right," she said.

Byakuya took his leave and walked down the hall. He entered quietly, seeing that Ichigo seemed to be asleep. 'He's so pale', he thought. 'It's odd seeing him so quiet.'

Ichigo must have sensed his presence because he began to stir and slowly opened his eyes.

"Byakuya?"

"I've told you to not refer to me so familiarly," Byakuya said.

"Oh come on," Ichigo said with a smile that turned into a grimace. He groaned slightly and felt at his ribs with one hand. "Ouch," he said simply.

"I don't mean to keep you awake long. I merely want some details on what happened on the away mission," Byakuya stated, pulling up a seat next to Ichigo and taking out a notepad.

"You haven't found Renji yet?" Ichigo asked.

"No."

"What about the others?"

"We found a few dead bodies, but we haven't recovered the whole team."

"All dead?" Ichigo asked quietly.

"So far," Byakuya hedged, "aside from the two that came with you."

"Damn it," Ichigo replied, closing his eyes. "I would have stayed if I had sensed anyone alive, but I didn't. I had hoped it was just because of how crappy I am at sensing things and that they had left when I ordered them to."

"You ordered them to leave?"

"The arrancar we faced were privaron espada, all very powerful. I don't know how they found us so quickly. We didn't even start in the right place. Somehow the coordinates that the gargantua dropped us off at was too far north. We were heading back towards our originally plotted location when we were attacked. There were four of them, too many for Renji and I to take on at once and protect the team at the same time. We ordered them to leave, but I could feel that some of them had stayed. I was hoping that at least one of them was Squad 4, so I headed their way.I only found two, men from my own squad. I was so weak that they were able to force me to leave. I barely knew what was happening, and then we weren't in Hueco Mundo anymore."

"I've talked to those two men. They say that they didn't sense any spiritual pressure from my lieutenant."

"They don't know him like I do! You know that you can sense peoplethat you are close to better. He was weak, but he was definitely alive. I…I guess I don't blame them if they thought he was dead and that I was hallucinating from blood loss or something. But you know me better. I wouldn't lie about something like that. I wouldn't lie to myself to make myself feel better. He was alive, and I promised him I wouldn't leave him there." At this point, Ichigo was beginning to get agitated. "I left him there!" he said, his voice trembling with emotion. "Byakuya, I can't believe I left him there alone."

Ichigo had been a lieutenant for only about a year, so he hadn't had to deal with losing a friend in battle yet. He had seen loss, but had always been removed from it. Byakuya remembered how ithad felt the first time he lost a comrade in battle, and he knew how close Renji and Ichigo were.

"I sent people back for him, Ichigo," Byakuya assured him. "If he's there, alive or dead, we'll get him."

"Thank you," Ichigo said, grabbing onto his hand. "Thank you for understanding."

"He's my lieutenant," Byakuya said, trying to ignore the slight tingling in his hand where Ichigo was touching him. "I want him back as well. To leave him dead on a field, or alive and waiting for rescue, isn't something I'd ever do."

"Thank you," Ichigo repeated, his eyes getting hazy.

"I'll leave you to your rest."

"Let me know the second you find anything…good or bad," Ichigo beseeched Byakuya.

"Of course."

* * *

It was several hours later that Byakuya returned. The away team he had sent hadn't managed to find any more of the missing men, so he had gotten a map and wanted Ichigo to show him where it was that he thought they might be since the original coordinates given for the mission weren't where the team had initially wound up. The mix up still hadn't been properly accounted for, but Byakuya was waiting on accusing Squad 12 of incompetence for the time being.

* * *

"I didn't want to leave him, Rukia," Ichigo told her.

"I… There's something else, something that I wasn't sure about before he left, but I am now," Rukia said.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant."

Ichigo's eyes widened and he grabbed her hand. "Oh Rukia… Congratulations, first of all. I've always heard that it's hard to conceive here in the Soul Society."

Rukia nodded. "It is, except for two people who have high spiritual pressure, like Renji and I. I…thank you," she said, tears in her eyes. "I don't know what to do now, though. What if he doesn't come home?"

"If that happens, wouldn't you be happy to have something as wonderful as this to comfort you? You two made a baby. No matter what happens with Renji, you can have something…you can have a part of him," Ichigo consoled her.

Rukia was still crying though, even though she was nodding in agreement with Ichigo.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Renji…he…always regretted how he was born. He was upset about not having a father, about 'being a stray dog' he'd call it."

Ichigo drew her into a hug. "Don't cry."

* * *

Byakuya walked in slowly and quietly, not wanting to disturb Ichigo if he was resting. Instead he saw something that made him move quickly back out the door, his back resting against the wall as he took in what he had seen. Ichigo holding Rukia close. Maybe he was just comforting her because of Renji?

"No matter what, I will always stand by you," Ichigo said, his words clear to Byakuya. "If the baby needs a father, then I'll be his father."

Byakuya wondered how things had gotten to this point. Not to this point with Rukia and Ichigo, because it was fairly obvious to him that the two had always been close. Why else would the boy have risked his life for her? She had lived in his house for months too.

No, he wondered how he had allowed his emotions to get so caught up in the boy. 'Why do I hurt right now?' He thought to himself. 'How did I let him slip in to my heart?'

He had been aware of his…slight fascination with the boy immediately, but it only got worse as he got to know Ichigo. It seemed as though Ichigo was around all the time; around the estate with Rukia or around his squad hanging out (or training) with Renji.

No matter how he hard he had tried to get Ichigo to give him some distance, Ichigo had never budged. When Byakuya walked into a room, Ichigo would give him a smile and welcome him. "Hi, Byakuya!" Byakuya wasn't used to being warmly greeted; not by his own household, his own family, or his own squad. Only Hisana and his parents had greeted him that way. Mostly, people grew stiff around him, or greeted him formally and with respect, but not with happiness. He knew that Ichigo walked around with a scowl most of the time, so it was always surprising to him to get that brief smile out of him when they met. Ichigo went out of his way to greet Byakuya, coming over to him when they walked around the Seireitei or if he saw him at a festival. Byakuya remembered surprising himself when he broke into laughter at finding Ichigo in one of the hallways of his estate, dressed up (very well too) as a geisha.

"It…it was a dare," Ichigo said, red faced under his white powder. "I was hoping you wouldn't see me." The poor boy looked ready to die of embarrassment, but had joined in Byakuya's laughter when he couldn't help himself. Byakuya couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed before that point.

Somehow, during all of the forced time together, his "annoying" traits endeared him to Byakuya. So much so that he would think of Ichigo often during his day. So much so that he had been worrying a great deal about him since he got injured. And evidentially, so much so that it felt like he had just been stabbed when he saw his sister in Ichigo arms, and felt the pain sinking in as he heard that…that…

Byakuya straightened his shoulders. He wasn't the type of person to hide. He was the head of Kuchiki clan, and this obviously concerned him. He steadied himself and walked back into the room.

"Byakuya," Ichigo said, seeing him.

'I think I would miss it at this point if he didn't say it', Byakuya thought. 'How foolish I've been to allow my heart such free reign.' Instantly he regretted what he was going to say and decided to leave the two alone to their own machinations for a while. Obviously the boy had just learned of Rukia's pregnancy. He should leave the couple to work out what they wanted to do.

'If he married her, the child would be considered a half breed, part human and not really one of us,' Byakuya thought to himself. 'I'm sure it's the step that Ichigo will take, but I don't think it's the right one. It's not just because of my own feelings that I think this,' he assured himself. 'No, instead I'll give them some time and then I will offer myself as a substitute. The child can be raised as a Kuchiki and given respect and honor, instead of being gossiped about. It's been suggested to me before. The clan is so desperate for me to have a child that they don't even care who it is with anymore. At least Rukia is someone they know, someone that they feel that they can control.'

"Are you ok, brother?" Rukia asked, seeing Byakuya's strained face.

"I'm…just tired…," he lied. "Ichigo, I was wondering if you could show me on this map where your team got ambushed," Byakuya held out the map.

As Ichigo circled the location, he was thinking to himself, 'I won't let your child grow up fatherless Renji. I know you consider yourself a bastard child and hated the fact that you didn't have a family. I'll provide a family for your child. If we can't find you, I'll marry Rukia and we'll give the kid a family. I told you that I'd watch over her exactly like you would, and I meant it. I'll protect her from her family too, protect her honor. I'll make sure everything is taken care of. I'm so sorry I left you behind.'


	3. The Offer

**The Offer**

_Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something and has lost something. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr._

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia sat watching the koi at the Kuchiki estate.

"It's only been a couple of months, we could still find him," Ichigo insisted. "He could have been captured."

"I don't know Ichigo," Rukia said. "I don't feel...I don't feel like he's alive. I used to dream we'd find him, but I don't anymore. I don't think he's coming back."

"...Rukia..." Ichigo said quietly, worried for her. Large bags were under her eyes and she looked too thin for someone who was supposed to be pregnant. "You should eat and sleep more. It can't be good for the baby to be like this."

"I-I know," Rukia said.

"We still have time."

"Not really. I'm lucky I like to wear loose clothing so that my growing belly has mostly been hidden, but this can't go on for very long. It's different here than in the world of the living, the way our bodies conceive and carry children is a little different. It's harder to tell when we get pregnant, so I didn't know right away. I only have a couple of months before the birth and I'll be getting too big to hide very soon," Rukia explained.

Ichigo sat there for awhile. He hadn't seen her for awhile, having been away in the world of the living visiting his family. He felt bad for leaving her alone. Now it was time for action to take place. He wondered how hard it would be.

"Rukia, let's go talk to Byakuya now," Ichigo told her.

Rukia nodded, but looked nervous. "I can't keep putting it off, but I guess I was too much of a coward to do it by myself."

"It'll be ok," Ichigo assured her.

'Renji,' he thought, 'I believe you're still alive. I'll keep her for you only until you get back. I think you'd understand. I think you'd agree with what I'm doing.'

They had arrived at Byakuya's study. It was Sunday, so he was home, reading and looking out over his garden as he nursed his tea.

"I'll talk," Ichigo said quietly as he knocked on the door.

"Come in," Byakuya called out.

Rukia and Ichigo took a deep breath and entered the room.

"There's something we wanted to talk to you about," Ichigo said. Rukia was nervously gripping his hand.

'I guess it's finally time,' Byakuya thought, steeling himself.

"I want to marry Rukia," Ichigo said plainly. Rukia gasped. Ichigo held onto her hand tightly.

Byakuya didn't reply at first. "What makes you think that I will let you?"

"Rukia is...pregnant," Ichigo explained. "We're planning on getting married immediately."

"I think that is a bad idea," Byakuya said.

"Look, you can't..." Ichigo started.

"Even someone not in a noble family would be looked down on for having a child with a human, no matter how powerful they are. Would you really want that for Rukia? If she was removed from the family, how would you care for her and the child?" Byakuya pointed out. "How would the child feel growing up knowing that everyone looks down on him or her for being a half-breed?"

"He's not the..." Rukia began. Ichigo hushed her.

"It's better than the child growing up not having a father," Ichigo said. "I'm sure I could work out something."

"I have a better idea," Byakuya said. "I will marry Rukia."

"I don't want to marry..." Rukia couldn't even frame the words she wanted to say.

"I know it will be hard on both of you, but you need to think of the child," Byakuya said. "The Kuchiki family has wanted an heir for a long time. They've gone from disapproving of you to even suggesting that I marry you, as long as it gets them an heir."

"But, you wouldn't lie to them, would you? You wouldn't have the heir of the Kuchikis be not of Kuchiki blood," Rukia got out.

"No, but there is plenty of time before the child would be of age. Before then I would step down and assign a new head of the Kuchiki household. That person could name their own heir, and your child wouldn't be expected to be the head of the family."

'How does he think so fast?' Ichigo wondered. 'How can he be so casual about such a big thing? He doesn't even seem upset about the situation. Is he really that calm and collected all the time? Can nothing take him by surprise?'

Rukia was on the verge of tears. She wished Ichigo had mentioned to her what he was going to do, but she understood it. She understood how it would be better this way, but the idea of getting married to anyone besides Renji hurt.

Byakuya misinterpreted the look. "I know it will be a sacrifice for you two to not be together, but you have to look beyond yourselves," he said.

'Renji wouldn't want his child to grow up in poverty,' Ichigo thought, 'but I doubt he'd want him to grow up as a Kuchiki either. There's no affection or love or warmth in this house, not enough for someone as fiery as Renji is...or was.'

"I can't just abandon the child that way," Ichigo said.

Byakuya nodded. He hadn't imagined that Ichigo would take the easy way out of his responsibility. "For all noble families, there is always a guardian assigned to the heir. They are with the child from birth until they are adults, and sometimes beyond that. If you are willing, you could be the child's protector. You would stay here at the estate, and even be with Rukia throughout the pregnancy and birth. It wouldn't be uncommon, and you are obviously capable, so although some questions might be raised about our choice as you for the job, they would be easily explained away. Eventually you might have to leave your post as lieutenant, but that wouldn't be for awhile. Everyone knows you are attached to Rukia, for you to want to protect her child seems common sense. You'd even be able to spend time with Rukia, as long as you were discreet about it. We would be married in name only. I wouldn't presume to touch her."

'Guardian? Is that good enough, Renji?' Ichigo wondered. 'In that case, there's no reason for Byakuya to assume that I'm the father anymore.'

"There's something that you should know," Ichigo began.

"One moment," Rukia told her brother, and dragged Ichigo from the room.

"Is this not what you want, Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

"You can't tell him," Rukia said.

"What? I don't understand."

"The situation is different if Renji is the father. He might even change his mind."

"I doubt he'd take back his offer," Ichigo said. "He just wants what's going to be best for everyone."

"Please, Ichigo. There are a lot of quirks about nobility that you don't understand. Just don't say anything. We haven't lied to him**;** he can think whatever he wants."

Ichigo frowned. "Not saying something is the same as lying."

"Do you think that I want to get married to him? Or even to you? You think this isn't hard for me? But this is the best way to provide for the child," Rukia told him. "Please, this is a huge favor for me to ask of you and you're doing so much already, but keep your silence."

"Aren't we taking advantage of him?" Ichigo mentioned. "This is wrong. And what if Renji comes back? How do we fix the situation then?"

"Ichigo, this is my child and I will make the decisions regarding how he or she will be raised. If you don't go along with this then I can do it by myself. There's no real reason for you to be involved at all at this point," Rukia said determinedly.

'Is this what she really thinks, or is it just desperation?' Ichigo wondered. 'But I'm not leaving that kid to grow up with Byakuya as his only father figure. 'What kind of life is that? This place is too big and empty feeling for a child. The poor kid is going to need someplace to turn to when faced with all of this nobility bullshit. Of course, it's the nobility bullshit that's helping us now. No, it's just kindness of behalf of Byakuya. Sure it would be a scandal to have Rukia unwed and pregnant, but he didn't have to go this far. He really does care for her, even if he doesn't show it in a way I recognize all the time.'

"I want to be there for the kid," Ichigo insisted. "And I won't say anything," he promised, still feeling it was the wrong thing to do.

"Thank you," Rukia said with relief. "I can finally relax a little now."

"Rukia, if this is really what you want, of course I'll help you," Ichigo replied.

"Okay, let's go back in... And thank you. I know that this is a huge sacrifice for you."

'Not as big as the one Renji made,' Ichigo thought to himself.

"We accept your kind offer, brother," Rukia said once they were in front of Byakuya again.

Byakuya inclined his head. 'It is done then,' he thought to himself. He looked out of the corner of his eye at Ichigo's face, seeing the tension in it. 'Poor boy will have to give up his life for this,' Byakuya thought to himself. 'If he's to be the guardian and live here he will be abandoning his life in the world of the living even more than he had when accepting his position as lieutenant. He's so young. It's hard for me to think of how young he is when he's as mature as people in our world who have lived hundreds of years. Still, he didn't have to do this, it was his decision. I would've thought less of him had he not done it.'

"Thank you," Ichigo said.

"I suppose I need to let the elder council know now and begin wedding preparations," Byakuya mentioned.

* * *

"Wow, that's kind of unexpected," Shuuhei said, sipping at his sake.

"Yeah," Kira replied. "It's kind of weird because I'm fairly sure that Renji and Rukia were dating on the sly."

"I guess not. I mean, he's only been gone a couple of months," Shuuhei mentioned.

"I think it'll be great," Rangiku joined in. "Think of how amazing the wedding will be! And the reception!"

"I don't think we'll be there," Kira said. "I mean, it'll just be nobles, right?"

"Why do you suppose it's happening so fast?" Shuuhei wondered.

"It's always like that with these noble weddings. Sometimes they're even engaged since practically birth and then get married in a week when they finally decide to do it," Rangiku said with a wave of her hand. "I'm definitely going to sneak in if we're not invited, though. I want to see her wedding kimono. I hear that there's a special one passed down to whoever marries the head of the Kuchiki clan. It's supposed to be really something!"

"I don't know. I never thought Rukia liked Captain Kuchiki in that way," Kira wondered.

"Oh come on, who wouldn't jump at a chance to marry a prince like him? Rich, powerful and attractive!" Rangiku said with a sigh. "I should have tried harder."

"You chased after Captain Kuchiki?" Shuuhei's eyebrows were raised.

"Well, it's always good to hedge your bets. I like spreading the odds around a little," Rangiku admitted.

"I doubt that Captain Kuchiki wants to marry a woman who carries her sake in her cleavage," Kira mentioned.

"Oh, shut up. I just didn't want to carry it," Rangiku said. "Besides, I keep lots of things in there."

Shuuhei was eyeballing her ample bosom. "Really? Like what?"

"Um, my keys, a pen in case I need to get someone's number, my money, a hair brush, a mirror..."

* * *

"He's seems a little down for someone about to get married," Captain Kyoraku insisted. "I mean, he's a Kuchiki, but he should be at least a little happy."

"It's probably just wedding jitters," Captain Ukitake suggested.

"Come on, let's go and congratulate the man."

"You're just saying that because you want to pry."

"Just a little," Shunsui said with a smile. "Besides, it's my right as a confirmed bachelor to be suspicious of anyone getting married. Do you think it's too late for me to warn him to run away and not look back?"

"You're so bad," Jushiro said with a sigh.

* * *

_A/N: Yeah, kind of random with Rangiku storing things in her cleavage, but I have a friend who keeps EVERYTHING in there. It's like a magic doorway to a bottomless closet or something._


	4. How to Fall in Love

**How to Fall in Love**

_All for love… and nothing for reward. - Edmund Spenser_

_A/N: This is mostly a set of Byakuya's flashbacks. Mini lemon warning._

* * *

This time it wasn't infatuation in a flash, it had been more like a slow dance. He had barely been aware of what was happening, fighting with himself until it was far too late to protect his heart.

"What are you doing?" Byakuya asked sourly.

The little girl hid herself behind Ichigo's legs and began to cry. Byakuya frowned. He hadn't meant to scare her. He had barely noticed her and had directed his question to Ichigo.

"Don't be scared," Ichigo said, holding the small girl aloft. She cried into his shoulder. "Shh." He looked up at Byakuya. "Are we on your property now?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I guess I went too far then. I'm trying to find her parents," Ichigo explained. "I found her in a field, by herself, crying. She had wandered off from the group she was with."

"There's a village not too far from here. I imagine that's where she is from," Byakuya told him.

"Can you lead me there?" Ichigo asked. Byakuya nodded. "Hold on tight. We're going to go really fast again, okay?" Ichigo told the girl.

Once in the village they had easily found several people who had recognized the child and led them to a house down a small dirt path.

"Auntie!" the girl cried when she saw the woman at the home's entrance. Ichigo bent over and set the girl down. She ran to her aunt, crying into her kimono.

"Her parents are out looking for her, but I know where they're looking. I'll be able to send a messenger from town," the lady told Ichigo. "Thank you."

"Of course," Ichigo responded with a smile.

Although it practically pained Byakuya to do it, he had invited Ichigo over for tea. As they sat in the garden sipping at their cups, Byakuya noted, "You are good with children."

"Ah well, I have sisters, you know. Plus, sometimes kids' parents come into the clinic because of an accident or something. I sit with them before their relatives get there. I think they like the hair," Ichigo grinned at him.

There was brief silence.

"You know, I used to hate how everyone treated me, but I'd hate to be you," Ichigo said.

"Why is that?"

"What do you mean? Those villagers were too scared to even speak to you." Ichigo replied.

"It was respect."

"It still means no-one's talking to you," Ichigo said with a shrug.

* * *

At the festival, Renji had whispered something to Rukia and the two had disappeared off someplace. 'Maybe to get food,' Byakuya supposed.

"Wow!" Ichigo said as the first fireworks lit up the sky.

"You told me that you had fireworks in the world of the living," Byakuya said. They shared a large blanket, but their posture was very different; Ichigo lying on the ground casually, looking up, Byakuya sitting upright in a formal posture, his back gracefully arched as he watched the skies.

"Well yeah, but it's just little explosions, not things like lions and dragons running across the sky," Ichigo said. "I wonder if I could get my kido controlled enough to do something like that."

"Doubtful," Byakuya told him.

Ichigo looked to the side. "Do you want me to leave?"

"I want you to be quiet," Byakuya replied, successfully restraining an eye roll.

"I mean there's...uh...I forget his name...but one of the guys from your elder council, giving me the evil eye over there. Maybe he wants to talk to you," Ichigo said.

"He most likely just doesn't like you being so near me."

"Aw, the noble Kuchiki blood must be protected from my cooties, is that it?" Ichigo gave Byakuya an upside down grin from his place on the blanket. "I can still leave if you want."

"You mean all I had to do was ask?" Byakuya said innocently. "I should have tried that sooner."

"Ha."

"Contrary to your belief, not every aspect of my life is controlled by the council. Stay where you are," Byakuya said.

"Feisty," Ichigo joked. "Did they do something to piss you off? I could glare at him for you, or even get closer to their beloved leader. Maybe I'll give him a stroke."

"That won't be necessary."

* * *

Byakuya paused at the door.

"Oh, come on," Ichigo was saying.

"Don't touch that, Lieutenant!" he heard his chef say. "If you are hungry, allow me to make you some food."

"I just want to make myself a sandwich. I can do that myself."

"It's not allowed."

"Are you saying Byakuya can't come in here and make himself a snack?" Ichigo asked the man.

"Lord Kuchiki doesn't make his own food."

"If he wanted to, he could, though."

There was a slightly mortified silence as the chef considered what would happen if Byakuya showed up in the kitchen.

"Please, Lieutenant..." the chef begged.

"Almost done anyways," Ichigo said. "I suppose I should clean up at least."

"That is not required."

Byakuya smiled to himself. He imagined the slightly portly chef practically shoving Ichigo out the door. He walked to his study.

"Hey, Byakuya," Ichigo said, sticking in his head. Byakuya sighed and wondered if it would ever be possible to train someone like Ichigo to at least greet him with some semblance of dignity. "Want some food? I made sandwiches."

"I'm not hungry," Byakuya declined, "And I'd appreciate you not terrorizing my staff."

"Terrorizing? You mean talking to? I had a conversation with one of the maids and I think she almost died. Do you just ignore all the people under you?"

"It's not your place to tell me how to treat my people. I treat them well."

"I guess that's true. If they act that way to me, then if you of all people talked to them, they might pass out. Better to just walk by them rather than get them all worked up, huh?" Ichigo said, munching on his sandwich.

"Why are you even here?"

"Rukia invited me over. Hmm, maybe she's hungry," Ichigo thought out loud as he wandered towards her quarters.

* * *

There was a rustling sound and a dark shadow moving. Byakuya instantly lit up the hall with a kido spell.

"Ichigo?" Byakuya said, for once allowing his confusion to clearly show on his face.

"It was a dare!" Ichigo claimed, forcing himself to not hide his face, bright red even under the pale white make up. "I lost a dare to Shuuhei, Kira and Renji. Rukia helped them with the clothes and the makeup. I had to dress like a geisha and run completely through the Kuchiki compound," he said, his voice slightly squeaking in embarrassment.

Byakuya had no reply to that. Ichigo took the moment to begin to leave.

"Ichigo," Byakuya told him.

"Yes?" Ichigo looked back.

"You'll make someone a fine wife," Byakuya said seriously.

Ichigo's face looked so pained that Byakuya couldn't help it, he laughed. Ichigo laughed as well.

It was only later that Byakuya realized that he had called Ichigo by his first name and only his first name. 'The silly child is influencing me, and not for the better,' he considered.

* * *

"_Please, Byakuya," Ichigo begged._

"_I'm thinking it over," Byakuya replied._

_Ichigo gave a small whine and tried to move, but he was effectively pinned to Captain Kuchiki's desk, laying on his back, his clothing askew. His kimono was open, revealing his bare sweating chest, his hakama and fundoshi lying puddled on the ground, still wrapped around an ankle. His face was flushed and he was panting._

"_Tell me you're sorry for barging into my office, even after all the times I've told you not to," Byakuya said into Ichigo's ear._

"_I'm...sorry..." Ichigo panted._

"_Call me at least by my title," Byakuya insisted._

"_No," Ichigo said, looking to the side. Byakuya shifted his weight and Ichigo moaned, his insides on fire where Byakuya was pressing. "Fine...please...Captain Kuchiki..."_

"_Please what?"_

"_Please, touch me."_

_Byakuya smiled and finally moved, thrusting into Ichigo deeply. Ichigo head went back as a howl erupted from his throat._

Byakuya woke up with a start, sitting on his bed pad. 'I'm going insane. It's the only logical answer,' he thought to himself. He felt his throbbing erection and ignored it. He cursed himself and stumbled towards his shower, standing in the spray with his head against the tile. 'Why do my dreams betray me?' He wondered. At first it was just an occasional thing, but now his sleeping nights were consumed by thoughts of Ichigo and sex.

'I'm treading a very fine line,' he thought. 'It's so easy to slip up when obsessed.'

The other day he had come into his study to find the boy asleep on his futon. He had gone towards Ichigo to wake him, but had found his hands going through the boy's hair instead. He pulled his hand back as if struck. It hadn't been a thought, just an action.

"Get out," he intoned to Ichigo, pushing him awake.

"Byakuya," Ichigo had mumbled sleepily, adorably.

"OUT!"

* * *

"Rukia, what is wrong?"

"Brother...I'm sorry," Rukia said, rubbing at her face. "I'm just worried because Ichigo hasn't come backfrom his mission yet."

"Ichigo is foolhardy, but he is hard to kill. I'm sure he's fine," Byakuya assured her.

It was a week later and there was still no news. He wandered by the 13th division headquarters. "Captain Ukitake," Byakuya greeted his fellow captain.

"Captain Kuchiki, how are you?"

"I actually came to see if you were faring well," Byakuya said.

"I'm...just worried. There have been no reports of hollow attacks, but..."

"So you haven't heard from your lieutenant then?"

"Nothing."

It had been almost two weeks when he ran into Rukia and Renji in the garden.

Renji was holding Rukia close. "It's okay. You know how he is," Renji told her. The two jumped apart when they noticed Byakuya.

It was just over two weeks when he felt Ichigo in the Seireitei. He tried to not rush over to Squad 13.

The small group of returning shinigami looked a little worn but not bloodied. Captain Ukitake was laughing and Rukia kept hitting Ichigo in the arm.

"Oh, hello Captain Kuchiki," Captain Ukitake said, when he noticed him.

"Hey, Byakuya," Ichigo greeted him with a lopsided grin.

'He's scowling the rest of the time. Why does he smile only for me?' Byakuya wondered.

"Did you get lost?" Byakuya asked simply.

"Err, no. Actually there was a small town that kept getting attacked by bandits. We tried to clear up as many of the bandits as we could but it just wasn't going to be enough, so I made the guys build a fence," Ichigo replied.

"A...fence..." Byakuya was a little stunned.

"You know, like a wall around the town. I mean, the town people helped too, but it was easier for us to do the heavy lifting because of our spiritual pressure. The guys didn't want to do it at first; they said it wasn't within their duties, but I...err...convinced them," Ichigo said.

Captain Ukitake laughed. "Well, you know what they say, 'teach a man to fish'..."

'Only Ichigo would do something as simultaneously stupid and endearing,' Byakuya thought.

"The messenger they had sent got a fever and was lying delirious in another village," Rukia explained.

"I guess next time I'll send two," Ichigo said.

"Or simply use a hell butterfly," Byakuya shook his head in exasperation.

* * *

Ichigo rambled over to Byakuya and raised a bloody fist to his haori, pulling on it to balance himself. "Byakuya, send someone for him, please…I'm begging you…" tears were in his eyes.

"I will, of course, send people," Byakuya clasped that bloody hand and met those bloodshot eyes.

"Thank you…thank you so much," Ichigo said. "I-I can't hold it in any longer…" he said, falling to his knees.

Byakuya went white and bent down to the lieutenant. "Lieutenant Kurosaki, are you…"

Ichigo sighed and then a hundred wounds opened up at once, pouring out blood. His spiritual pressure dimmed and he fell to the wooden floor.

Byakuya felt his heart in his throat as he held the boy up, warm blood dripping down his arms.

"Ichigo!" he said, trying to keep Ichigo awake. Although his emotions were panicking, he was trained enough to simply collect Ichigo into his arms and stand. He looked to Unohana, who nodded to him. He was halfway across the Seireitei, following the captain of the fourth, before he realized he hadn't taken leave of the head captain.

"Please, you have to leave," Unohana said, as they began to work on Ichigo.

Byakuya's eyes were still glued to the boy as they cut his clothing off of him and starting to assess his wounds.

"Captain Kuchiki," Unohana said again.

"Of course," Byakuya said, retreating to the hall. He hated the feeling of dried blood, how it crinkled in his hand. 'I should get my haori washed immediately to prevent staining,' he thought absently. Yet he didn't want to leave, because even though he couldn't see Ichigo anymore, he could still feel him clinging to life. The members of Squad 4 simply ignored him after it became apparent he wasn't going to move anytime soon.

"Captain Kuchiki," Unohana said as she came out. "I didn't expect you to still be here."

Byakuya couldn't think up a suitable excuse.

"He'll be fine," Unohana said. "He's not in any immediate danger."

Byakuya nodded and forced his feet to take him away from the place. He had no real reason to stay there. He went back to his estate and washed away the blood, scrubbing himself until he was raw, trying to remove Ichigo's blood that remained under his fingernails.

* * *

'Ichigo is obviously upset,' Byakuya thought to himself, feeling Ichigo's spiritual pressure leak through the walls as he and Rukia talked in the next room.

"We accept your kind offer, brother," Rukia said once they were in front of Byakuya again.

Ichigo didn't meet Byakuya's eyes.

Byakuya inclined his head. 'It is done then,' he thought to himself.

"Thank you," Ichigo said.

"I suppose I need to let the elder council know now and begin wedding preparations," Byakuya mentioned.

* * *

"And this room will need to be repainted. We'll also need a cradle," Byakuya told his handyman.

"Lady Kuchiki will be staying in here after the wedding?" the man struggled to understand.

Byakuya paused. "We haven't really made it known yet, but she is expecting."

The man broke out in a smile. "Congratulation, Lord Kuchiki."

"She wants to be with the baby when it is first born, and I'm often in and out late and don't want to disturb the both of them. That's why we'll have the room set up here," Byakuya explained. The man nodded. Byakuya didn't need to offer the man any explanation but he supposed it would keep down the gossip.

"What about the room next to yours?" the handyman suggested.

"It is a little too small. I was thinking that's where Ichigo Kurosaki could stay."

"Lieutenant Kurosaki, lord?"

"He will be the child's guardian."

* * *

"You don't need to stay right away. I thought you'd want to see it, though," Byakuya explained as he and Ichigo walked through the room.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to stay tonight. They're patching a hole in the roof of my quarters right now," Ichigo said.

That night, Byakuya stood in front of their connecting wall, his hand on it. He could hear Rukia speaking, and Ichigo laughing. 'I've become such a woman,' he thought to himself. 'Am I going to waste away too, weeping?' He laughed at himself. His shoulders tensed as he felt a presence at his door. There was a pause, and then a knock.

"Come in, Kurosaki," Byakuya called out.

Ichigo opened the door. "I liked Ichigo better," he said. He looked around. "I thought this was your bedroom."

"It's my personal quarters. This is my sitting room. My bedroom is through that door."

"Oh," Ichigo was looking nervous.

"Is something wrong?"

"Are you sure about this, Byakuya?" Ichigo asked. "You're giving a lot up. I mean, what if you want to start a relationship or something?"

"Nobility is notorious for having wives and mistresses," Byakuya pointed out.

"That's disgusting," Ichigo wrinkled his nose.

"I agree. I haven't had a romantic relationship with anyone since my wife. I don't see me having one any time soon," Byakuya said.

"But...you shouldn't cut yourself off like that. It wasn't healthy before, and it doesn't mean it's a good idea to keep doing it," Ichigo told him.

Byakuya wondered what he would have said, had Ichigo attempted to give him relationship advice a year ago.

"It's just...you don't have to do this. There are other ways."

"It's fine, Ichigo," Byakuya said, making a motion towards the door. Ichigo allowed himself to be led out.

"I feel guilty," Ichigo confessed from the doorway. "Besides, everything I do pisses you off. Why wouldn't this huge thing cause you to hate me?"

"There's no accounting for love," Byakuya told him. "I know that personally."

"If you truly believe that, then...then..." Ichigo looked at him. "There's something you should know."

"Ichigo!" Rukia called, coming up behind him. "I was wondering where you were."

"...Rukia..." Ichigo sputtered a little.

"Sorry for bothering you, brother," Rukia said, leading Ichigo away.

Byakuya stood out on his balcony looking at the stars. 'Love has always meant sacrifice to me. That's just how it is.'

'When did I determine it was love?' He wondered to himself. 'Why not just attraction, affection, and lust? It doesn't matter anymore anyways, does it? '


	5. Wedding

**Wedding**

_When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving oneself, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance. - Oscar Wilde_

* * *

'I'm not really into that, am I?' Byakuya was wondering as he sat waiting for his tea, trying to forget the dream he had woken up to that morning. He glared at Ichigo. 'He's obviously done something to me,' Byakuya thought.

"Would you like some sugar?" Ichigo asked.

_Ichigo had each one of his hands tied to a post of the large four post bed, naked, facing the bed with Byakuya behind him. Byakuya hit Ichigo's already pink ass again with the paddle, resulting in a resounding smacking noise. _

"_Aw," Ichigo called out in a lusty moan._

"_What was that?" Byakuya asked. _

"_Again," Ichigo begged. Byakuya smiled._

Ichigo laughed at him.

Byakuya looked up. "Excuse me?"

"I'm wondering what in the world you can do with sugar that would make you blush like that," Ichigo teased.

"What?" Byakuya said evenly.

"Well, it obviously had to be perverted. Or maybe you were thinking about the tea. I don't suppose you have a tea fetish I should watch out for?" Ichigo asked.

"You insolent boy!" Byakuya was standing now. Ichigo quickly joined him, a wide smile on his face.

"Uh oh, I found out your secret."

"Stop talking."

"Oh yeah? How about you make me?" Ichigo replied.

"Easily done," Byakuya said, holding out his hand for a quick kido chant.

"Can everyone please just sit down and have tea?" Rukia said as she walked in.

Byakuya was slightly abashed but covered it up.

"I'm sure we're just all a little nervous about the wedding tomorrow," Rukia stated.

Byakuya blinked and then looked over at Ichigo, who was frowning at Rukia. 'I really should make allowances for it,' Byakuya thought. 'How hard must it be for him right now? And I rose to his bait so very easily.'

"I'm sorry, Byakuya," Ichigo said, leaving the room.

'I can't believe he actually apologized to me. Although, he truthfully wasn't too far off in his guesses,' Byakuya thought, feeling himself redden slightly.

* * *

Byakuya had sent away all of his attendants, so he was alone when he heard the knock at the door. He sighed. 'Ichigo,' he thought to himself, 'this is the absolute worst time. I am not collected. I do not feel strong.' He called the boy in anyways.

"Byakuya," Ichigo said in that informal way of his that used to annoy Byakuya so much. "How are you doing?"

"Everything is ready," Byakuya replied.

"It's just that..." Ichigo paused. "I mean, last time you got married it was to someone you really loved. I imagine this might be painful for you."

"You are worried about _me_ on a day like this?" Byakuya gave a wan smile. "You don't have to worry. It was a lot different with me and Hisana. The family didn't want to accept her, so we had a small much more informal wedding in the country."

"Does that mean that the dress Rukia is wearing today...your wife didn't wear it?" Ichigo asked.

"No."

"That's...good." Ichigo sighed. 'This is the very last chance I have to tell him about Renji before it becomes something irrevocable.' He put his hand out and grabbed Byakuya's shoulder, meeting his eyes. "You don't have to do this. There are still other ways."

"My mind is made."

"After you get married, if something changed...would you..." 'If Renji comes back, will he still be able to have Rukia?' was Ichigo's unspoken and unspeakable question.

"I'm not sure what would change," Byakuya said. 'Why is he touching me?' Byakuya wondered. Anyone else and he would have forcibly removed their hand already. 'Ichigo, please leave,' he begged.

"I...guess I should let you...do whatever you were doing," Ichigo said lamely. He walked out the door, pausing once more before leaving but only seeing Byakuya's back as he stared out into the small courtyard.

* * *

"Come in, sensei," Byakuya called out, sitting casually on the ground, several layers of robes removed and in a loose pile next to him.

"Well, I haven't heard him call you that for some time," Shunsui said with a raised eyebrow to Jushiro. The two men walked in to the room.

"Err...are you drinking, Captain Kuchiki?" Jushiro asked, looking at the sake glasses and Byakuya's slightly red face.

"You're looking a little...stressed," Shunsui said.

"Are you two here to torture me?" Byakuya questioned.

"No," Shunsui looked over at Jushiro. "We were kind of coming by to offer our well wishes."

"What's wrong, Captain Kuchiki?"

Byakuya paused for a long time. "Sensei, you have always given me advice and kept my secrets. Can I rely on you again? There is something I cannot tell anyone else, but...perhaps I will find peace if I tell at least you."

"I can go if you want," Shunsui offered.

"No. I know you two share everything," Byakuya said. 'That is why I thought you were merely images here to torment me, images of two perfectly matched lovers who have been together for thousands of years and will be together for thousands more,' he thought to himself.

"Byakuya," Jushiro knelt down in front of the sitting captain. "What is it?"

"Rukia is with child," Byakuya said.

"But, that's great news," Jushiro smiled. He'd always wanted children of his own.

"The child isn't mine."

There was a shocked silence.

"What?" Shunsui said softly.

"I don't...but whose then?" Jushiro asked.

"Your lieutenant's," Byakuya told him.

There was silence. Jushiro was frowning. "Oh, don't get upset, Jushiro," Shunsui said. "I'm sure Ichigo isn't running away from his responsibilities. It's not like him."

"No," Byakuya said. Then he explained to them the situation, his solution and Ichigo's guardianship.

"It's a good thing to do," Jushiro said, his eyes still confused. "You not only are helping Rukia, but are living up to your promise to her sister to care for her."

"Yes. You know me well enough to know that's not it. Something like that wouldn't make me resort to...this weakness," Byakuya said, looking over at his empty sake glasses.

"What then?" Jushiro asked.

"I...I believe I'm in love with the boy."

"With...Ichigo?" Jushiro was shocked. It seemed like the only times he had seen the two of them together they were barely restrained from killing each other.

"Heh," Shunsui was smiling. "Yes, he definitely gets the fire going for you, doesn't he? You seem so much younger when he's around."

'I suppose he does,' Jushiro considered. 'So much like his old self. Less closed off.'

"So, you're doing this for him as well, then?" Jushiro asked.

"Yes."

"But, can you even do it? Can you live with him like this?" Jushiro questioned.

"I...the other night as I was walking, I heard Rukia and Ichigo laughing together. I was scared to enter the room. I was scared because I didn't want to walk in and see them in each other's arms, or to see them kissing," Byakuya said. "But, at least he will always be close."

"If it's already making you act like this, what's going to happen after a couple of decades of strain?" Shunsui pressed.

"It's just because of this step. I'll be okay after," Byakuya said. "It's just because...he came in. He was worried about me, about me being locked in sad memories of my marriage to Hisana, and I just couldn't take his sympathy." He straightened himself. "And, of course, I hadn't talked to anyone about this. At least now I feel like I am breathing easier."

"Please know that you can come to me if you ever need to," Jushiro offered. He smiled, remembering when Byakuya had first confessed to him about Hisana. 'How young he was then,' Jushiro recalled.

"If you'll excuse me," Byakuya said.

"Of course," Jushiro replied.

Jushiro and Shunsui walked back towards the massive hall where the ceremony would be taking place.

* * *

'Renji, damn it, why the hell aren't you here?' Ichigo cursed his friend in his mind. 'This is really going to happen. What happens if Byakuya finds out? What happens if other people find out that the child isn't his?' Ichigo was pacing back and forth, his hands running through his hair roughly. 'I shouldn't lie to Byakuya. It just feels so... '

"Damn it!" he yelled to no one in particular. "Oh," he said, realizing he had company. "Uh, sorry, Captain, am I blocking your way?" He looked up at the two captains.

"Ichigo..." Jushiro trailed off.

"No, we're good," Shunsui said, grabbing Jushiro's hand and leading him onward.

Jushiro held on tightly, not wanting to think about how he'd feel having to watch Shunsui marry someone else.

* * *

Because both people getting married were shinigami, and one a captain, the ceremony had a slightly martial feel to it. Besides the old, formal traditions upheld by the Kuchiki family, those of the Seireitei were followed as well. The captains and lieutenants lined the aisle, wearing their uniforms, zanpakuto drawn, held towards the ground in their right hand.

When Rukia began to walk down the aisle, Ichigo felt something choke him slightly. She looked beautiful in her shiromuku, her train pulling in an expanse of white behind her.

'Renji, I'm so sorry you're not here to see her like this,' Ichigo thought.

The wedding ceremony itself was intensely long, and intensely boring. Ichigo didn't care to hear the long list of Kuchikis named off and wondered why kami would want sticks. He considered as to why there were three cups of sake to drink from and why not two, and in general tried to not think of anything that might make him show any emotion.

Finally, it was almost over. There was a chaste kiss from the couple. Then the priest stepped aside and Head Captain Yamamoto stood on the dais. Rukia and Byakuya were handed their zanpakuto, which they lay diagonally across their hearts. Yamamoto warned the couple to put their duty in front of all else and to serve and protect the Seireitei at the cost of their lives. He blessed their union and then had them turn and face the crowd, mostly populated by various members of nobility.

Yamamoto stepped back to his place along the aisle. He drew his zanpakuto, no longer a staff, over his head. The various other captains and lieutenants followed suit. He then tilted it at an angle, crossing with his lieutenant's across the aisle. Ichigo crossed his zanpakuto with Jushiro in time with everyone else. Rukia and Byakuya walked under the bridge of swords, carefully caring their own as well, as the crowd clapped and cheered.

The couple disappeared as Rukia was rushed off to the changing room.

Ichigo followed the other shinigami on to a high and wide balcony, overlooking a large crowd containing those thathadn't been invited to the smaller ceremony inside. He stood at attention until both Byakuya and Rukia were escorted out, Rukia now wearing an ornate red kimono. They were announced to the crowd below, who bellowed their approval as they got a good look at the new married couple.

Rukia and Byakuya were taken away again, this time to their reception, mostly consisting solely of Kuchiki members, although Rukia had to stop and change once again, this time into formal black robes.

"Alright, our part's done," Shunsui said to Ichigo. "Let's go have some fun."

"What?"

"The party is at my house!" Rangiku cheered.

"I don't drink," Ichigo said. "You know that, right?"

"Then why not try something new?" Shunsui said with a grin, leading Ichigo away.

* * *

"I've asked the entire staff to clear this wing 'for our privacy'," Byakuya told Rukia once they finally made it home. "So you don't have to pretend to go to my bedroom or anything along those lines."

"Thank you, brother," Rukia replied.

"You're going to have to change that."

"I...calling you husband is...Lord Kuchiki perhaps?"

"I think it would be odd for you to get more formal after we got married," Byakuya mentioned.

"...yes," Rukia said. She gave a nervous laugh and then opened the door to her new room. She paused and then blushed. "Brother...err...Byakuya?"

"Yes?"

"I had a lot of help getting into these robes. I don't think I can get out without a little help," she said.

"Oh..." Byakuya followed her into her room and helped her with her obi.

"That's probably good enough."

"...then...I'll see you tomorrow..."

After her brother...husband...left, Rukia sunk onto the bed. 'I'm lucky I feel so sick being pregnant,' she thought to herself. 'That way I can just focus on that and not on everything else.'

* * *

Byakuya stood on his balcony, looking at the moon. He heard a noise and watched as Ichigo leaned against a tree below him.

"Ichigo? Why are you out so late?" Byakuya called down.

Ichigo flash stepped up to the balcony, landing on the railing and almost falling backwards. Byakuya quickly grabbed him and helped him down. He got a closer look at the boy. "You're drunk," he stated.

"S'not my fault! Rangiku is evil!" Ichigo hissed.

"Don't blame others for your failure to moderate your intact," Byakuya told him.

"No, they grabbed my hair, pried open my mouth and just starting pouring sake down my throat," Ichigo said.

"I imagine that's why you smell so bad then."

Ichigo tried to smell himself. "Bad?"

"Worse than Captain Kyoraku," Byakuya claimed. "You reek of sake."

"Sorry," Ichigo said. He lunged forward suddenly, wrapping his arms around Byakuya in a close hug.

Byakuya froze.

"You don't have a lotta friends...maybe no friends...I can't tell," Ichigo said. "But we're friends, right?"

"...I..."

"Come on, you can admit it to me," Ichigo said.

"You are going to feel very sick in the morning," Byakuya ignored his question.

"Thank you for this," Ichigo said, clinging to Byakuya for a couple more moments before lurching inside and making his way to his room.

'The silly thing is,' Byakuya thought to himself, 'if he hadn't gotten Rukia pregnant, I probably would have run from my feelings for a lot longer. At least now I can admit it to myself that I love him. There has to be some solace in knowing myself at least.'

'You didn't hug him back, but you still didn't have to strength to push him off of you,' his conscience worked at him.

'Nothing happened, it was fine. He was just drunk. If he had been sober I wouldn't have allowed it.'

'How sure are you about that?' The tiny voice in his head whispered to him.

* * *

_A/N: So I basically mashed up a Shinto (shinzen shiki) wedding and a marine wedding. I figured I didn't need to go into great detail. I'm not sure that giving each other fish and fans, etc. would've added to the story._

_Well, they're married, what now?_

_Oh, and in my mind, I always like to imagine Captain Ukitake helping train Byakuya. I think it's because I've seen the cutest fanart of it. A blushing young Byakuya crushing on his sensei is completely adorable._


	6. Art

**Art**

_In art as in love, instinct is enough. - Anatole France_

* * *

Over the last couple of weeks since the wedding, Byakuya had gotten used to Ichigo being around, which was a good thing, since the boy seemed to always be underfoot. Byakuya had to wonder exactly how much work was getting done in Squad 13, since Ichigo always seemed to be anywhere but there; in his office asking if he wanted to grab some lunch (answer: never), dashing across the Seireitei running away from Kenpachi, fighting across the Seireitei with Squad 11 members who were not Kenpachi, and falling asleep in Byakuya's personal garden. He had made sure to mention to Ichigo that it was _his_ garden, emphasizing that _only he_ went into it, but the point seemed to fly past the young lieutenant, or else he was just too stubborn to take a hint.

Byakuya sighed as he spied the boy leaning against a cherry tree, asleep, several blooms having fallen onto him while he had slept. Ichigo was wearing a casual yukata in dark blue with a light blue, flying dragon on it. 'At least he's wearing something decent for once,' Byakuya thought. He had wanted to take a torch to the boy's torn jeans and tight t-shirts, but had been restrained after Ichigo had agreed to dress more traditionally after Rukia talked to him. He tried to remember his annoyance those first few days to keep his mind off how peaceful and beautiful the scene in front of him was.

Ichigo must have sensed his presence even in sleep because Byakuya was now looking into expressive brown eyes. Ichigo pushed his hands out in a stretch as he yawned.

"You need something better to do than to constantly be in my garden," Byakuya told him.

"Well, the flowers told me that they don't mind me being here, so I think I'm good," Ichigo grinned at him.

"You say the most ridiculous things," Byakuya frowned at him.

"Oh don't get mad at them, they're just flowers."

Byakuya restrained himself from rolling his eyes, something he found himself doing quiet often in the presence of Ichigo.

"I believe Rukia told me that you have an interest in writing. Why don't you write for the Seireitei Communication? I'm sure Captain Hisagi would love to have someone as popular as you contribute a column," Byakuya suggested.

"Popular?" Ichigo questioned. "I suppose with Squad 11."

"Do you really have no idea…?" Byakuya stopped. If Ichigo didn't know about the hordes of fans, female and male, that he had, as well as the machinations of the Shinigami Women's Society, he wasn't going to enlighten him. Ichigo was staring at him, his eyes glittering with humor. "What?" the noble asked.

"You have a cherry blossom on your head, it's a good look. You should wear one tucked into your barrette," Ichigo said, his eyes glittering with humor.

"It's called a kenseiken," Byakuya said, shaking his head slightly to remove the stray flower. "You do know what they say about people with red hair don't you?"

"That people that have it have beastly sexual desire and are moral degenerates," Ichigo said. "And that they have a bad temper."

Byakuya couldn't believe he was blushing. He forced the pink he felt from his face. "That they are witches," he corrected.

"Well, they don't say much about people with orange hair, so I think I'm set. Although, Renji might resent being called a witch. Besides, I'm pretty sure male witches are called warlocks."

"Well then, carrot top, get out of my garden," Byakuya said, forgoing politeness.

Ichigo ignored him. "What was that you said about writing? Do you really think that I should?"

"I have never read anything you've written, so I have no firsthand knowledge of you skill, or probable lack of it. However, there are many people who would want to know about the world of the living," Byakuya told him.

"I don't want to write about something boring like that," Ichigo said.

"I have an idea," Byakuya had just thought of a way to at least temporarily rid himself of Ichigo's presence. "Why don't you do some traveling in the world of the living? The senkaimon will take you anywhere, as long as you aren't contacting humans or using your spiritual powers your visits will be acceptable. Aren't there cities you want to see, places you've never had a chance to be?"

Ichigo blinked. "I had never thought about that," he closed his eyes and leaned against the tree. "I could write about the places I visit too, I suppose. I'd find that a lot more interesting than trying to explain to people what pizza tastes like and what fast food is."

"Just don't stay away too long, you know how Rukia has been…needy…" Byakuya tried to put it nicely.

"She told me to get lost because I was annoying her by breathing through my nose," Ichigo looked at Byakuya. "My breathing isn't annoying, is it?"

"I would say most things about you are annoying, but I had never considered your breathing to be one of them," Byakuya admitted.

"Fine, then let's go," Ichigo stood up.

"You say "let's" as though I were accompanying you."

"Of course you are. You need to get away more than I do, and I'd like to run some things by a shinigami who isn't that familiar with the world of the living. It will make for a better story."

"Do not write about me," Byakuya grimaced slightly. He could just hear what the clan elders would say.

"I won't mention you, I just don't know what things are strange or not to someone like you. For instance, the concept of mail and the postman blew Renji's mind, which was totally bizarre for me. I just want to bounce things like that off of you," Ichigo explained.

"No," Byakuya said flatly.

"Let's go to The Louvre, in Paris!" Ichigo ignored him. "It's a museum I've always wanted to see."

"The Louvre?"

"It's a historical monument, and one of the most visited art museums in the world of the living. You love art right?"

* * *

If you had asked Byakuya to relate how exactly he had wound up in Paris, France, he wouldn't have known. One moment he was adamantly denying going with Ichigo, the next the two of them were setting down in the world of the living. Byakuya privately wondered if this was some talent of Ichigo's that would greatly benefit him once he became a captain.

"I worry for the state of the world," Byakuya said out loud.

"Why is that?" Ichigo asked.

"One day you will be a captain. The idea is enough to keep anyone up at nights."

"Ah, do I keep you up nights?" Ichigo grinned. He had no idea why he had been relentlessly teasing the noble the last couple of days, but he had to admit that he was getting better at it. He used to just get a cold stare; more and more often he was getting all sorts of expressions from the normally unreadable captain. This time he could tell that it took some effort for Byakuya to not throw his hands up in the air, and it just made Ichigo smile wider.

'There has to be something wrong with me that the only times I've been kind of okay and happy recently are when I'm annoying the hell out of Byakuya,' Ichigo thought to himself.

Byakuya refused to acknowledge Ichigo's question, not only because it was presumptuous, but because it was true. There was hardly a night that went by that he didn't dream about Ichigo, or stay up late trying to not think about what Ichigo had done that day. It was like Ichigo was going out of his way to make sure that his presence was constantly felt by Byakuya. Byakuya couldn't eat at his table without seeing Ichigo, couldn't escape at work because Ichigo would stop by, couldn't even go for late night walks because somehow Ichigo was always wandering around outside along the paths the Byakuya frequently took. He could hear Ichigo's laugh through the walls of his bedroom, feel his spiritual pressure as he practiced with his zanpakuto outside, and would be amused when he felt Ichigo attempt to use the kido techniques that Captain Ukitake had been showing him. Most kido attempts ended with curses from Ichigo, and Byakuya would sit back in his reading chair smirking.

"Are we supposed to wait in line?" Byakuya asked, looking at the long queue of people.

"Of course not, it's not like they can see us. We don't have to wait, we don't have to pay, we just walk in," Ichigo said with some satisfaction. There were a lot of things about being a shinigami that were a pain in the ass, but this was one of the perks.

"We are stealing," Byakuya claimed.

"Oh no, just think, if they knew who you were and how noble you were, you'd be ushered in like a VIP," Ichigo assured him. "Assuming that they didn't just keel over in your presence and cower in front of you."

"So do you have any other hobbies, aside from harassing me, I mean?" Byakuya said.

"You're becoming more human by the day," Ichigo related.

"Insults upon insults."

Once inside, Byakuya felt himself actually relaxing. There were many people around, but they couldn't see him, and due to their invisibility to most humans they could get very near to the art to appreciate the fine details. Except that Byakuya found himself not wanting to appreciate the fine details of much of the art.

He frowned at the canvass in front of him.

"Oh, don't be that way. For all you know he's just come home from being away at war and is giving his wife a passionate greeting," Ichigo told him, seeing Byakuya's reaction to the painting.

A passing tour stopped near them. They listened in as the tour guide spoke. "At first sight, _The Bolt_ is just another of the many amorous scenes Fragonard painted. A woman is half-heartedly fending off her lover's advances. But looking closer, one notices intriguing details. Why is the man bolting the door if the room is already in a disarray indicating what is to come? In this light, certain objects unveil their erotic symbolism: the knocked-over chair (legs in the air), the vase and roses (allusions to the female genitals), the bolt (male genitals), and especially the bed, taking up most of the left of the composition. Its anthropomorphic forms make it the scene's principal actor, and its manifest disorder embodies the protagonists' sexual urges," the tour guide finished, gesturing towards different parts of the painting as he spoke.

Byakuya was glaring at Ichigo. "I told you," he said.

"Let's move to the next room," Ichigo suggested.

"Now this one, you cannot defend," Byakuya said, standing in front of another painting.

"Um well, you know, it's a bath house, so people would be naked," Ichigo told him.

"So it's a painting of a bunch of naked women, one of which is caressing another's breasts."

"Well…it's well done," Ichigo pointed out. Things didn't get much better after the next couple of paintings.

"Why are they all naked?" Byakuya asked.

"They're goddesses. Uh…goddesses don't wear clothes," Ichigo said.

"By that logic, Yoruichi is a goddess."

Ichigo laughed at that. "I think I know some people that would agree to that."

"Is…she about to have sex with that duck?" Byakuya asked, looking at a sculpture.

Hearing the word sex come from Byakuya's mouth was both shocking and amusing to Ichigo. He had to admit though, it definitely looked like the duck and the woman were a little too intimate. He read the title out loud, "Leda at the Swan. Oh, I know this story. Zeus came down and err…seduced a woman by the river as a swan."

Byakuya sighed. "And this one? Why does he have no penis?"

If Ichigo had thought the word "sex" dropping from the noble's lips funny, hearing the word "penis" actually had him giggling. "Not okay with the naked women but complaining about the lack of naked men. I guess I know where you stand now," Ichigo joked, still laughing.

"It just seems odd to have it just blank. It could have been covered or something, but with all of the naked females you wouldn't think it was an issue," Byakuya explained.

They wandered towards some more sculptures. "Trust me, if it's naked men you want, there's plenty in the sculptures section," Ichigo joked.

"I never said I wanted to see naked men. There is nothing wrong with wanting to, though," Byakuya said.

That took Ichigo a little aback. It almost sounded like Byakuya was admitting…

"In the past I have had both male and female lovers," Byakuya said, as if it were totally common for him to mention something like that to Ichigo.

"Err, well to be honest…" Ichigo stopped himself. Saying something like "I've never liked women myself," would instantly bring up the very obvious question about his relationship with Rukia. "I mean, I've been attracted to both as well," he covered.

"Did you ever actually date a man?" Byakuya asked.

"Um, no…I didn't really get a chance for too much…experimentation," Ichigo got out, wondering how this conversation had gone so wrong, where Byakuya was sitting chatting like it was nothing and Ichigo felt like the earth swallowing him up whole wouldn't be such a bad thing. "Okay, _now_ I'm uncomfortable standing in front of a bunch of naked male statues," he admitted.

"There's nothing wrong with the human body," Byakuya said.

"You were being such a prude before!" Ichigo said.

"Because of the situations that were portrayed, not the bodies."

"Um, let's go to the English section. It's probably all kings and country sides," Ichigo suggested.

"That does sound interesting."

In the end, Byakuya had to admit that he had enjoyed himself. Much of the art wasn't to his taste, but it had still been worth seeing. Outside, the air was slightly damp and the streetlamps were flickering on. He turned away from an amorous couple kissing passionately on a bench.

"Humans are a little more openly affectionate than I'm used to seeing," Byakuya told Ichigo.

"Well, Paris is called the City of Lights, but it's also called the City of Love," Ichigo said.

"We should get back if we don't want to miss dinner."

* * *

"Where were you!" Rukia yelled at Ichigo.

"You told me to go away," Ichigo defended himself.

"Not all the way away!" she said.

"Dinner will be ready soon," Ichigo tried to change the subject.

"Oh yeah, that's just what I need, more food to make me fatter," Rukia complained.

"You're not fat! You obviously are going to be gaining some weight because of the pregnancy," Ichigo pointed out.

"I'm fat and ugly," Rukia said.

"You look fine," Ichigo assured her.

"Fine?" Rukia's voice was low and a little dangerous.

Byakuya elbowed Ichigo sharply. "Beautiful," he said to Ichigo.

"I meant beautiful," Ichigo said to Rukia. "Radiant! Glowing!"

"Now leave me alone again, I'm tired," Rukia said, leaving the two slightly confused men.

It was several hours later that Ichigo found her asleep on a futon. He reached down to pick her up.

"Ichigo," Byakuya said. "I believe I should carry my wife upstairs to her room."

"Oh," Ichigo blinked. It was crap like this that got on his nerves. Why should they have to care what the servants thought? Why not just live without servants and do whatever the hell they wanted?

He followed Byakuya to Rukia's room, and watched him lay her on her bed. Byakuya turned and left, closing the door behind him, leaving Ichigo in the room with the sleeping Rukia. Ichigo sighed staring at the closed door.

'As bad as I felt lying to him before, now that we are getting closer, it's getting harder and harder,' Ichigo thought. 'I can't even really vindicate it to myself anymore.'

'Oh well, I suppose I should try and write an article about our visit,' Ichigo considered. 'Too bad Byakuya doesn't want me to mention him, because his reactions were the best part.'

* * *

_A/N: Details about the paintings and sculptures were taken from the Louvre website._


	7. Pregnancy Class

**Pregnancy Class**

_Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart. -  
Washington Irving_

_A/N: So I was a little wary about the ending I had planned for this fic, and while I was pondering it, I came up with something infinitely better. It's not really something I've tried before, but I think you'll like where it goes. Sorry for not updating for awhile, work has been getting hectic._

* * *

Byakuya didn't have to include Ichigo on his trips to Hueco Mundo looking for his lost lieutenant, but he did anyways. Captain Ukitake understood Ichigo's need to continue to go back and had no problem with him spending a day or two away from his regular duties to search the cold desert for traces of Renji. He would make no comment when Ichigo requested the time off, although he secretly wondered if it was really that good of an idea to have Byakuya and Ichigo spent that much time together alone. Not that he thought something was going to happen, he just worried that it was making things harder on Byakuya than it had to be.

It had been over twelve hours, and although Byakuya refused to show it at all, he was tired. The work was repetitive, but at the same time all of his senses had to be at full alert to prevent an ambush by hollows or remaining arrancar. It wasn't as though he was worried about the strength of any of them, but even returning with a minor scratch would injure his pride.

And of course, there was whatever had gotten Renji, out there someplace. Someone had been able to take a shinigami with a bankai out, two if you counted the fact that Ichigo was half alive when he had gotten back. Ichigo's account of their fight was garbled, although it was clear that there had been many hollows attacking them. Still, they shouldn't have been able to take out two entire groups of shinigami as well as two captain class people. There was still the issue of how they had wound up far from their insertion site to begin with. Did the arrancar have technology that could deliberately change the path of the gargantua? Had a shinigami accidentally just sent them to the wrong place, or even done in on purpose?

There were a lot of unanswered questions as far as what had happened, and Byakuya didn't really like some of the possible answers.

"We should return," Byakuya told his companion as they paused at the top of a sand dune, looking out over the perpetual night sky. "We didn't bring supplies for an overnight stay and that dust cloud on the horizon is likely a large sandstorm."

Ichigo scowled at him. "Yeah, okay," he finally agreed.

"When can we go back again?" Ichigo asked as he and Byakuya walked along the long garden path that lead to the Kuchiki main estate.

"I will have to check my schedule," Byakuya said vaguely. He had no idea whether his lieutenant was alive or not. He suspected he was long dead, but he knew that such finality would likely have a very serious effect on Ichigo. To be honest though, it wasn't like letting the boy hold on to hope indefinitely was healthy either. Byakuya sighed. "You are stressed," he said finally.

"Well...yeah," Ichigo answered.

"Let me do something for you."

Ichigo followed Byakuya into the private bath house he had at the back of his home. Ichigo absently washed off the sand and grime of Hueco Mundo off of himself and then gently climbed into the large hot sunken cistern, slowly allowing his muscles to relax in the relentless heat. He noticed that Byakuya was in the corner, setting something up but blocked it from his mind, trying to not think of anything.

The water was very hot though, and he found himself overheating before too long. With a sigh he pulled himself out and dried off with a towel. He tucked the towel around his waist and began to wander off to find his clothes.

"Not yet," Byakuya said to him.

Ichigo had forgotten he was there. He blushed slightly wondering if he had flashed Byakuya climbing out of the pool.

"Come here," Byakuya called him over.

"What is that?" Ichigo looked at the small table Byakuya had laid out.

"It's a massage table."

Ichigo's eyebrows went up. "You are...going to give me a massage?"

"You are probably wondering why I don't have a staff member do it," Byakuya said. "The truth is I'm going to give you a special massage."

Ichigo wasn't really the type to think dirty thoughts, but on top of his embarrassment of being so open with his nudity earlier, having forgotten Byakuya was in the room, and now hearing something so ambiguous sped his mind down paths it really shouldn't have been going down. "Err..." was all he said out loud, fighting his blush.

"It's not a particularly high level type of kido, but it isn't easy to master," Byakuya continued.

"Oh," Ichigo said dumbly. He had no idea what Byakuya was talking about, but it did propel his mind out of the gutter.

Ichigo allowed himself to be guided onto the table, laying face down with part of his face lying against a cutout of the table so that he was staring at the ground. He closed his eyes a little and bit his lip as Byakuya began to work on his upper back.

'This is okay,' Ichigo was telling himself. 'This is fine. I'm not going to freak out about this.' His eyes went wide as Byakuya pressed his palms into a particularly tender part of Ichigo's back.

Byakuya paused as he felt Ichigo wince under his hands. He concentrated briefly, focusing on the tips of his fingers, allowing tiny tendrils of spiritual pressure to form at the end of them. He once again placed his hands at the sore spot, embedding the tendrils directly into Ichigo's back, touching the muscles directly and forcing them to relax.

"Gah!" Ichigo said. "W-what was that?"

"The kido technique I was telling you about," Byakuya replied. He moved his hands to Ichigo's lower back, gently prying Ichigo's tensed muscles loose with the spirit energy flowing from his hands. He froze as Ichigo moaned before forcing himself to continue.

'I've never had a massage before,' Ichigo was thinking, 'but I doubt that they usually feel this good.' He couldn't help the happy sounds and light moans and groans that were coming from him.

Byakuya was seriously beginning to doubt that this was a good idea. He had no idea what had caused him to make the offer to the boy, it wasn't something he had done for another person before. He had gone through some rather tough training as a boy and remembered that his physical therapist would do this to him when his muscles got bunched together and swollen.

However, Ichigo kept...making noises. And writhing. And every time Byakuya reached deep into him, he felt himself brush up against Ichigo's spiritual pressure, felt the smoothness of his skin and the development of his muscles. It was only Byakuya's sheer willpower that was preventing his hands from shaking.

Byakuya could feel the slight curve of Ichigo's back as it led to his butt. Feeling a very strong impulse to keep going, Byakuya quickly ripped his hands away from Ichigo. He moved instead to Ichigo's legs, starting near his feet and moving up.

'How can something be so relaxing and so...err...not relaxing,' Ichigo thought to himself, his face getting flushed as he refused to admit to himself that he was getting turned on. He tried to distract himself by thinking about something else, but wound up pondering Byakuya's hair.

'I bet it's really silky feeling,' he thought to himself. 'It looks really shiny and...Damn it,' Ichigo yelled at himself inwardly. He gasped loudly as he felt Byakuya hand along his upper thigh, Ichigo's muscles quivering at the touch.

"Ha ha!" Ichigo forced out some laughter. "I'm uh...feeling a lot better now. So...thanks!"

Byakuya paused for a minute to gain his composure. "Try to not get so stressed," he said, removing his hands from the boy with a slight reluctance.

There was an awkward pause for a moment.

"Lord Kuchiki?" a questioning voice came floating into the room.

"Back here," Byakuya said simply.

"Lady Kuchiki's pregnancy counselor is here," the servant stated as he walked into the room.

Byakuya recalled that he was supposed to be present for this visit. He looked over his shoulder at Ichigo, who was still lying on the table. "I will be there momentarily," Byakuya told the servant, dismissing him. "I suppose...you should come," Byakuya said to Ichigo.

Ichigo sighed. 'Even when I temporarily get away from the lies, they come back to me,' he thought. 'Byakuya is trying to be kind by allowing me to be with Rukia while they talk about the pregnancy and birth process, and there's no reason for me to refuse.' "Yeah, I'll come in as soon as I'm dressed," he said out loud. He had no plan on getting up while Byakuya was still in the room, because he had no doubt that the flimsy towel would do nothing to hide the erection he felt pressing into the table.

* * *

Rukia, Byakuya, and Ichigo were all sitting pale faced as they listened to the midwife talk. Rukia was trying to not panic and both Byakuya and Ichigo were trying to not bolt from the room. Ichigo particularly had never even seen female genitalia, or at least, he had quickly clicked past it if it happened to flash up on his computer while he was surfing through various sites, so the very detailed diagrams and descriptions were leaving him more than a little queasy. Byakuya was obviously more familiar with the female anatomy, but the descriptions of what happened to it during the birth process were rather harrowing.

"So um...how common is...the ripping?" Rukia said weakly.

Both Byakuya and Ichigo felt brief panic as the midwife answered the question very thoroughly.

Then of course, there was the video. The horrible, horrible video. Ichigo was a bit of a fan of horror films, but he had never felt so terrified as when watching "The Miracle of Life". He quickly gripped Rukia's hand, trying to give her some semblance of comfort. She clasped on to his hand hard. Ichigo had been hoping that childbirth would be easier in the Soul Society, but it turns out that it was almost exactly the same. He wasn't unaware of what happened during the process, but it's not like his dad's clinic delivered babies. Even knowing what happened scientifically, thinking of it happening to Rukia was scary.

'She's so small,' Ichigo thought to himself, 'and her belly is so big. Is she really going to be able to...err...push the baby through...well...?'

After the midwife had left, Byakuya wondered if he should offer everyone a little sake to calm their spirits. Except that Rukia couldn't have any, and she's the one that would most need it. He considered his options.

"Ichigo...didn't you mention something called ice cream to me once?" Byakuya asked.

"Um, yeah?"

"Let's go and get some ice cream from the world of the living," Byakuya suggested. "We'll bring some back for Rukia. What kind do you want?" he asked her.

"Strawberry, pistachio, chocolate, double chocolate, rocky road, strawberry cheesecake, and French vanilla," Rukia listed off.

"That's all one flavor?" Byakuya asked, confused.

"No, that's like ten flavors. Maybe we should just buy one of everything," Ichigo joked. He winced as Rukia hit him.

"YOU'RE NOT THE ONE THAT IS GOING TO HAVE A WATERMELON TEAR THROUGH HER VAGINA!" Rukia yelled.

Byakuya wisely just backed out of the room, waiting for Ichigo to get finished being yelled at before they left.

They came back with one of every flavor that they could find. Rukia was very happy and even laughed when Byakuya managed to give himself an ice cream headache from eating too fast.

* * *

Byakuya didn't even have it in him to be ashamed as he dreamt about Ichigo that night.

_He easily pulled away Ichigo's towel and climbed onto the massage table._

_"You seem to be enjoying this," Byakuya whispered in the back of Ichigo's ear._

_"Please, keep touching me," Ichigo begged._

When Byakuya woke up, more sticky then he had been when he went to sleep, he almost laughed out loud at himself. 'I am so very pathetic,' Byakuya thought, wincing at the gross feeling as he pried his sheets off of him and headed into his private shower.

* * *

"Byakuya," Ichigo moaned as he tossed in his sleep. His dream was odd as it was arousing, his whole body being infiltrated by sakura blossoms that were raining down from heaven.

* * *

Rukia on the other hand had an unpleasant sleep, full of nightmares of needles and blood and perineal tearing and giant watermelons laughing at her as they chased her through fields.

She woke up vaguely upset at Renji for getting her pregnant in the first place, but then instantly starting crying when she woke up enough to realize that Renji wasn't going to be there for the birth of his child, and that even though she'd have Ichigo and Byakuya there with her, she'd be all alone.


	8. Baby

**Baby**

_The sweetest sounds to mortals given_  
_Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven._

_- William Goldsmith Brown_

* * *

"I know that it's a Kuchiki tradition to name the first child after the grandfather, but I think that it would be wrong to name the child Ginrei, considering the circumstances," Rukia was saying. "I don't want to disrespect your family."

"I agree," Byakuya said. "Does that mean that you have another name for the child?"

"I have a couple, actually, but I was thinking that maybe we should hold off on making a final decision until we actually see the child," Rukia told her husband.

"It doesn't have to be 'we'," Byakuya assured her. "It should be between you and Ichigo."

"Um...yeah," Rukia replied, looking away to the window briefly. "I'll...discuss it with him then."

* * *

Byakuya was having another one of those annoying dreams. Well, annoying probably wasn't the best word for them.

_Ichigo was writhing under him, his normally tan skin a rose color, his face flushed as he adorably bit at his lip. "Byakuya," Ichigo said. Byakuya ran his fingers down that smooth skin; skin that should be scarred was kept impeccable through exceptional healing. He bit lightly at Ichigo's thighs, making them part wider for him. Ichigo called out his name again, this time more lustily._

Byakuya moaned and shifted in his sleep, his silk sheets tangled around his hot and flushed body.

In his dream he was working fast, he could hear the bed actually pounding into the wall as he pushed himself deeper and deeper into the delectable heat of...

Byakuya began to wake up, and heard the actual pounding, the one that was at his door.

"BYAKUYA!" Ichigo yelled, sounding panicked.

The head of the Kuchiki family made an ungraceful exit from his bed and pushed the sweaty hair out of his face. He grabbed a kimono from a hook and quickly wrapped it around himself. He silently cursed as he looked at himself, or rather the part of himself that was protruding from the robe he had thrown on. He opened the door carefully, hiding partially behind it.

Ichigo was red faced, biting his lip, looking excited and worried. He was bare-chested and wearing only a pair of sleep pants. After his interrupted dream, it was all Byakuya could do to keep from pouncing on the boy and tasting those raw looking lips and running his hands along the hard looking chest that was being presented to him.

'Calm down!' He ordered himself.

"Byakuya!" Ichigo said again.

"Yes, you keep saying that," Byakuya pretended to be annoyed. "Now, what the hell are you doing at my door at..." he looked at the clock,"3am?"

"I need you," Ichigo said, his eyes wide.

Byakuya's own eyes bulged slightly at those words. 'Great, now I'm biting my lip,' he thought to himself, quickly releasing his bottom lip from his teeth. "Care to explain?" he asked in what he hoped was a calm manner.

'This is not helping me settle down,' Byakuya thought, dearly hoping that he wasn't going to have to go out for any reason, feeling his straining cock press against the hard grain of the wood door. The door that was all that was separating him and Ichigo.

"It's Rukia..." Ichigo said.

'Oh,' Byakuya thought, he assumed with relief, although he knew that it wasn't.

"She's...the...BABY!" Ichigo stumbled.

Now Byakuya was getting the idea. "They told us that as the time approached, she might have some nights when..."

"Her water broke!" Ichigo almost shouted.

Byakuya paled. "Err...did you inform anyone to go and get the midwife and nurses?"

"N-no. I just came here," Ichigo admitted.

"Why don't you go and get a servant to get them and I'll get dressed and meet you in Rukia's room," Byakuya said.

As he dressed he was at least happy that the news had made his body relax into a more presentable state.

* * *

"You are the child's guardian?" one of the nurses asked Ichigo. He nodded. "Then you can stay if she wants you to."

Rukia agreed, which meant Ichigo was stuck in the room. He noticed that Byakuya, while not looking like he was cowering or hiding, was definitely at the furthest point from Rukia that the room offered. Ichigo took a place next to him, decidedly looking away from where the midwife was working on Rukia's propped open legs.

Neither man spoke for awhile. Finally Byakuya leaned over to Ichigo and whispered into his ear, "I'm glad that you can be here, but you must understand that you will not be able to touch the baby at first."

"I know," Ichigo said, feeling shaky at the idea of having to hold a newborn and quietly glad that he wasn't going to have to cut the umbilical cord, something that the midwife had already proclaimed that Byakuya would be doing.

It was a nerve wracking couple of hours, well honestly, more like half a day. Any sense of demure attitude that Rukia might have been trying to cling on to at the beginning was long gone, and both Byakuya and Ichigo winced at her curses and cries of pain.

Byakuya thought it was odd that she included Renji in her curses, but assumed that maybe she was too far gone to remember that her closest friend wasn't with them anymore.

"It's not going well," one of the nurses confessed to Byakuya.

"WHAT?" Ichigo almost yelled, immediately hushed by the nurse.

"What do you mean?" Byakuya said in a calmer manner.

"Her hips are too narrow, we're going to have to open her up," the nurse explained.

"A caesarian?" Ichigo asked.

The nurse nodded.

"It's more dangerous than a regular birth, but not unduly so. At this point it's much safer than a natural delivery," the nurse told Byakuya.

"Let me talk to my wife first and then I will get back to you," Byakuya said.

"GET IT OUT OF ME!" Rukia yelled from the bed.

"I don't imagine the conversation will take long," Byakuya told the nurse.

It didn't.

* * *

It seemed like they did almost no prep, at least to Ichigo. "Wait, you're just going to cut her open?" Ichigo asked with a little panic, watching the scalpel approach Rukia's protruding belly.

"SHUT UP!" Rukia yelled at him.

Ichigo took her advice and watched pale faced. He was happy that Byakuya choose that moment to lightly reach out and lay a hand along the small of his back. It was a small gesture not seen by the medical staff because of how close they were standing, but it made Ichigo feel a lot better.

Both men gasped as the knife expertly dug into flesh. Rukia barely even seemed to notice.

Someone reached into the wound and pulled out...a baby. A whole baby. Ichigo couldn't believe that a whole baby had been in Rukia.

Byakuya was pushed forward and he cut the umbilical cord with steady hands, which Ichigo was impressed with. He would have been a mess. The baby was whisked away and cleaned, weighted, measured, given medication and other things.

"What is the boy's name?" one of the assistants asked, holding a pen to a piece of paper.

"Asuma Hayate Kuchiki," Rukia said.

The nurse that had been cleaning off the baby boy handed him to Byakuya, who took the newborn delicately and carried him to his mother as soon as she was stitched up, moderately cleaned and covered again.

The nurses made their way out of the room to temporarily leave the new family in peace, although they would be on hand for the next couple of days. A servant directed them towards a room where food and drinks had been laid out for them.

"You can come over here now," Byakuya told Ichigo.

Ichigo approached with trepidation, looking at the little body of the child with wonder and fear. "So...uh...you're a mom now," he told Rukia stupidly.

She laughed and then instantly regretted it, putting a hand to her stomach.

"You gave him such a violent name," Byakuya said.

"Just a dynamic name. I have a feeling he's going to be like his dad," Rukia mentioned.

Ichigo grabbed her hand as it was still holding the baby. "I'm sorry," he said lowly.

Rukia said nothing, but Ichigo could see the tears in her eyes.

As Ichigo looked at the baby again his eyes widened. "Uh oh," he said, pointing to the child's _almost_ bald head.

On it laid half a dozen pale hairs, still obviously brightly colored though, and not the black of either of his supposed parents.

"We'll have to remove them for now," Byakuya said, looking around for a pair of scissors. "I'm sorry."

"I understand," Rukia replied. "But what will we do in the future?"

"At least he has blue eyes," Ichigo stated.

Rukia sighed. "A lot of babies are born with blue eyes, dolt."

"Oh. And if he has brown?" Ichigo asked.

"I guess we'll figure it out in a couple of months," Rukia said.

They all watched as Byakuya carefully cut off the offending hairs. He paused a moment and then handed them to Rukia, who held them close before sticking them into a drawer near her bed.

* * *

The next few weeks went by quickly. Ichigo kept walking in on Rukia nursing and flipping out, and she laughed at him every since time. She kept assuring him that it was completely natural and beautiful, but all Ichigo thought was "boobs" and "Rukia", two things he didn't really want to associate with each other.

The baby was fond of Byakuya and would tug on Byakuya's long hair when he was held; Byakuya simply smiling when it happened. It was almost enough to make Ichigo forget that Byakuya wasn't the real father, almost enough to make him stop feeling guilty for lying to the man. Almost, but not really.

An assortment of various Kuchiki family members came by the greet the new supposed heir, offering their well wishes and commenting on how much the child looked like Byakuya. Byakuya took all of the comments in stride. It just proved to Ichigo how little babies look like anyone when they're just born. He didn't really see Renji or Rukia in the baby, aside from how energetic the baby seemed. He definitely didn't seem like a Kuchiki, that's for sure.

That was one of the few reasons that Ichigo was happy he was still around. The boy seemed so full of life; he'd hate to see him wind up like Byakuya. Although to be fair, Byakuya had become a lot easier going ever since Ichigo had met him. If he thought back, he barely seemed like the same man he had met when rescuing Rukia from execution.

He imagined that Captain Kuchiki still seemed like Captain Kuchiki to those he wasn't close with, but to Rukia and to Ichigo, he was obviously a changed man. Ichigo wondered if it was just the fake marriage, being around a child, or maybe even having to deal with living with himself for months. Ichigo wondered if he had somehow changed the man, and kind of liked to think that he had.

Ichigo was playing his favorite game with Asuma, letting the boy grab onto his fingers and tugging slightly. It was surprising how strong the little tyke was, and he always smiled when Ichigo pulled, tightly clasping onto Ichigo's finger tips. This time however, Ichigo felt something... He looked up suddenly.

Was that?

He bolted up, still careful to not jolt the baby though, and handed the child to the nanny.

Outside he paused, almost as if sniffing the air.

'I'm so bad at this,' he thought to himself. But even so...he looked off to the west. 'Yes, I can feel it. It feels so much like him. It has to be, right?'

'It feels like...Renji?'


	9. Return

**Return**

_Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven. - Tryon Edwards_

* * *

Ichigo was on the furthest point of the Kuchiki estate, high up on a tree, feeling outward as hard as he could.

'_There,' _he thought, instantly flash stepping towards the ripple he was feeling.

"Renji," he said, stopping in front of the man.

Renji was wearing all white, although his outfit was stained with old blood and the sleeves tattered. He stood in his bare feet and in his hand he held Zabimaru, still in shikai. He raised it briefly in a threat before his eyes widened with recognition. "Ichigo?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied, wanting to rush towards his friend, but a little wary because of the hazy look in Renji's eyes and the fact that he was still holding his weapon as if moments from attacking.

He didn't have to worry about it for long though, because Renji dropped his zanpakuto and fell to the ground, landing on his knees. Ichigo rushed over to him, preventing him from falling further.

"It really is you," Renji said, resting in Ichigo's arms. "You feel damn hollows are all so cold."

"What happened to…Renji, I'm so sorry…and Rukia…" Ichigo had so much to say that he couldn't form a complete sentence.

"Rukia…" Renji repeated.

"That's why you came here first, right?" Ichigo said. "She's here, let's go on ahead. Byakuya can call some medics for you; I doubt that Rukia's going to let you leave for Squad 4."

"Thanks," Renji grunted, attempted to stand up. He made it, with Ichigo's help.

"You don't seem as bad as you could be," Ichigo stated.

"'Suppose so," Renji replied as they trudged towards the main house.

"I…I didn't mean to leave you," Ichigo said. "They carried me off and left you behind. I've been looking for you for months."

"Months? Has it really been that long? It feels like years, but I was sure it had only been a couple of weeks," Renji told his friend, leaning heavily on him as they walked.

"Slow as always," came a cool voice in front of them.

"Captain," Renji said, trying to straighten up. He was surprised to find Byakuya instead take his other arm, supporting him on his left side just like Ichigo was supporting him on his right.

"Don't press yourself too hard," Byakuya said. "You should have gone to Squad 4 for healing first."

"I need to see Rukia," Renji replied. "It's all I thought about while I was lost in the desert."

"She's okay," Ichigo said. "In fact…well…I'm not sure how to really explain…I guess I'll just wait for you to see her." Ichigo wanted to tell Renji about his child, but didn't want all of the other things to come up yet; Rukia being married to Byakuya being one of the main ones. He deserves to just be happy for a couple of moments, Ichigo thought to himself. "I kept my promise," he simply said.

"Thank you," Renji stated, "I knew that I could trust you to keep her safe."

The three men were at the garden before they felt a familiar presence approaching. Ichigo instantly backed off of Renji, and Byakuya decided to follow suit.

"Renji!" Rukia cried, flying into Renji's arms. She didn't care that she was sobbing, although she didn't know why such a happy event should make her cry. Her body was shaking with her tears as she clung to him.

"Hey, it's okay," Renji said gently, his face softening as he wrapped his arms around Rukia.

'That's what's wrong,' Ichigo thought to himself. 'He seems so different than usual because of how serious and intense his expressions are…but that's to be expected, I guess. What did he go through?'

"Renji, I have a surprise for you," Rukia said finally, pulling away from Renji's chest and looking up into his eyes. She looked behind her and one of the Kuchiki nannies that seemed to populate the place since she had her child came forward with Asuma in her arms.

"What…" Renji's eyes were wide.

Rukia took the baby into her arms and turned towards Renji. "His name is Asuma Hayate."

Renji's eyes met her own and he felt his throat tighten as he looked at the little thing in front of him. Rukia pressed the baby into his hands and Renji took the fragile looking thing with wonder.

"You…didn't say…" Renji stuttered.

Rukia just smiled, tears still in her eyes.

Byakuya has been watching the whole thing with some confusion. Suddenly, upon seeing Asuma in Renji's arms, the way that Rukia was looking at him, the way that the three stood together, he gasped slightly. "You…" Byakuya turned to Ichigo for confirmation, but Ichigo was watching the scene in front of him, feeling his own upwelling of emotions at the happy sight.

"I'm a father?" Renji asked Rukia, almost as if he couldn't understand what was happening.

Rukia nodded.

Byakuya's hands went into tight fists as he tried to comprehend the chains of events that were unfolding.

Ichigo's eyes went wide as he felt the upsurge in spiritual pressure next to him. He quickly took one of Byakuya's arms and led him away.

"What is going on?" Byakuya asked quietly, understanding that Ichigo was taking him away to not intrude on the lovers finally reuniting nearby.

"I'm so sorry…" Ichigo said. "It wasn't my idea. You just assumed I was the father and then Rukia wanted it that way, she made me promise to not tell. I had promised Renji to watch over Rukia no matter what, and I viewed that as a promise to watch over his son too, so I…so we…" There was a long pause. "We lied to you," he said softly. "I'm…we lied."

Byakuya turned to leave but was restrained by Ichigo. "Please, I know that you are mad right now, or confused, or something, but we have to work out…I mean, you're married to Rukia and Renji is back now so…something has to be worked out."

Byakuya paused and then nodded, his face hidden from Ichigo.

* * *

Renji was stilling playing with Asuma, barely seeming like he was listening to the story that they were telling him.

"Renji, say something," Ichigo said with irritation.

"Thanks, Captain," Renji responded.

"More than that," Rukia said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, it's not that hard, right? You never err…consummated the marriage and whatnot, and you could just say that you were deceived into marrying Rukia and then the whole thing could be annulled," Renji stated.

"Yes, but then both Ichigo and Rukia would be held accountable for deceiving a noble. We view marriage as a very special institution, there are hefty punishments for lying or deception where marriage is concerned," Byakuya pointed out.

"Your guests are here, Lord Kuchiki," a servant announced.

Byakuya wracked his brain trying to remember who it was he was expecting.

"Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake are here for tea," the servant clarified, seeing the confusion on his master's face.

"Oh," Byakuya said, with a little relief. They could know of course. At least it wasn't some random noble coming in at the worst possible time.

"I bet you that Shunsui can figure out a way," Ichigo pointed out.

Byakuya looked up and considered that. The two captains might indeed have some good advice.

* * *

Ichigo was surprised that Rukia directed him to come with her and Renji (and little Asuma), assuming that the three would want to be alone.

"I think we should give my brother some time," Rukia said by way of explanation. "At least he should be able to discuss everything with Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoraku without any of us around."

"Um…how about I watch the baby and then you and Renji can catch up?" Ichigo suggested.

"Thanks for offering," Renji said, "but the medics will be here in a second anyways so it's not like we'd have much time."

"Are you mad at me?" Ichigo asked Renji.

"I should be asking that," Rukia mentioned.

"Of course not," Renji replied. "It'll all work out."

Ichigo hoped that he was right.

* * *

"You're kidding me," Shunsui said, his mouth agape.

"So, Renji's really been the father the whole time? Why didn't Rukia just tell you that?" Jushiro asked.

"Ichigo made it seem like…he seemed to really be upset about having to lie to me. He said that she wanted him to not tell me the truth. I suppose that after I made the offer, Rukia didn't want to do anything that would change my mind. I've always seemed prejudiced towards Abarai; perhaps she thought that I would be angry at her for being with him and for getting pregnant from my lieutenant. I'm not sure why, really. I didn't really want to interrupt them, since obviously they all have been through a lot. They deserve to be happy for at least a little while without worries," Byakuya said.

"So, you don't hold it against them?" Shunsui asked.

"I don't know," Byakuya answered truthfully. "I think that I'm a little shocked at the whole situation myself."

"So does this mean that Ichigo Kurosaki gave up everything, his family and friends and eventually his position in the thirteen court guard based off a promise he made to Renji Abarai?" Jushiro questioned.

"Guess so," Shunsui offered.

Byakuya remembered clearly the words he had overheard at Squad 4. _"No matter what, I will always stand by you," Ichigo said, his words clear to Byakuya. "If the baby needs a father then I'll be his father."_ He remembered how Ichigo had reacted to his offer to take the child as his own. _"I can't just abandon the child that way," Ichigo said._

'Ichigo could have just stepped away then, but he still wanted to be a part of the child's life…and he never claimed it was his own,' Byakuya thought. 'Still, not correcting me was lying…he knows that it was wrong. I misinterpreted all of his concerns about my marriage to Rukia as something else, but he was feeling guilt, worrying about my giving up my life for something that I didn't know that full details about.'

Byakuya sighed and sipped at his tea.

"Want something stronger?" Shunsui asked, pulling out a flask from his kimono sleeve.

"No thank you," Byakuya resisted the urge to take the man up on his offer.

"Despite everything, doesn't this make you a little relieved?" Jushiro asked.

"Why would that be?" Byakuya questioned.

"Because it means that Ichigo never loved Rukia," Jushiro stated.

"That doesn't mean that he likes me though," Byakuya pointed out. 'However, didn't Ichigo tell me that he liked both women and men? Does that mean that there's a chance? Why am I even thinking about this, I'm still supposed to be angry at him, but instead I'm just…muddled? I'm happy, I think. Happy that Rukia and her child will have their real father and husband, happy that I don't have to live a lie my whole life, happy that Ichigo doesn't have to give up his life out of dedication to Renji. Upset, naturally, at being used, but not as much as I would think I would be.'

He looked up, hearing Shunsui laugh. "He's so going to hit on Ichigo now," Shunsui giggled, drinking more sake.

"What?" Byakuya said coolly. "I do not "hit on" anyone," he corrected.

"Uh huh," Shunsui didn't sound convinced.

"I think I might have a solution for your problem," Jushiro said.

"Really?" Shunsui was intrigued.

"It's…actually from this poem I read…" Jushiro blushed slightly.

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ichigo asked Byakuya, his hand resting on the noblemen's arm.

"We'll see," Byakuya didn't promise anything.

It had been a week and he had his two fellow captains had worked out the details of what he was going to say. It was going to be lying, but for some reason Byakuya didn't feel that bad for it. He wished that he trusted his family enough to offer the real reasons for his actions, but knew that they could be a vindictive bunch and didn't want to trust the fate of Rukia and Ichigo to them. It was better to lie, at least in this case. Truly, in a perfect world, it wouldn't be any of their business at all. Perhaps that's why he had no qualms about lying bald-faced to them.

Renji had been staying at the estate, under the working lie that "he was being treated for injuries" and needed to stay put. He and Rukia waited in the room, as well as Shunsui and Jushiro, who were hoping that their plan would work.

Byakuya paused for a moment at the door, looking at all of the faces, hearing them wish him luck. 'Good luck,' he said to himself as well, before going to the main meeting hall where he had called a family meeting of the Kuchiki elders.

Once all members had been accounted for, they all watched Byakuya with interested eyes. It wasn't like him to call meetings like this.

"I will be blunt. My lieutenant has returned from Hueco Mundo alive and well; it is because of this that I will tell you that Asuma Hayate, Rukia Kuchiki's child, is not mine," Byakuya stated. He didn't bother to wait for the murmuring and gasps to end before continuing. "Rukia Kuchiki and my lieutenant Renji Abarai entered into a secret engagement, to be announced when he had reached the level of captain. As you know, captains have a rank similar to that of noblemen, so they felt it was appropriate to wait. However, after Lieutenant Abarai was lost in Hueco Mundo, Rukia found that she was pregnant. In order to preserve Kuchiki dignity, I offered to marry her so that the family would not have an unwed mother in our ranks. We waited as long as possible for Renji Abarai to be recovered, but the time of Rukia's birth grew closer so we announced our wedding plans and married. However, I engaged Ichigo Kurosaki, one of Renji Abarai's closest friends, to be the child's guardian. You can talk to my staff if you want to, but it was commonly known that I never slept in Rukia's room, or she in mine. Ichigo Kurosaki's room separated ours as well, so that there would never be an impeachment of either her honor or mine, should Renji Abarai be found alive."

"Wait a minute," someone spoke.

Byakuya ignored them and continued on. "Since the child is not mine, and his real father has come back, I will be seeking an annulment of my marriage to Rukia Kuchiki. She will be marrying Renji Abarai. The name Asuma Hayate Kuchiki will be removed from the rosters of Kuchikis and be known as Asuma Hayate Abarai from now on," he finished.

There was silence, and then a clamorous uproar. Byakuya sighed; it was now time for the hard part.

* * *

"How long do you think we'll be waiting?" Ichigo asked.

"The meetings usually last at least an hour," Rukia told them. "Sometimes it's the whole day. I doubt it'll be that long though, since it's just one thing that they're discussing. Usually they have a long list of things to talk about."

"I don't really care what they say," Renji shrugged. "Legally, Byakuya can annul his marriage to you without their consent."

"You know there's more at stake than that," Rukia chided him.

"They won't punish him, will they?" Ichigo asked quietly. "I mean, it's not his fault."

"He's making it his fault though," Jushiro pointed out. "He will be presenting it as if he's lied to them the whole time."

"So, they might then," Ichigo said with worry evident in his voice.

"Yeah, they could," Shunsui admitted. "These Kuchiki's are pretty unpredictable too. Sometimes they let things slide, other times they're hard-asses. Hopefully, this time they'll be lenient."

"But probably not," Ichigo sighed.

"You don't know that," Rukia told him.

"No matter what, he's still a captain," Renji said. "Even if they try to strip him of his rank within his family, everyone will still respect him. He'll still have his squad; he'll still have this house, have us."

"That's true," Ichigo mulled, still not at ease at the position he had inadvertently put Byakuya in.

"It's so cute to see you worrying about him," Shunsui said with a sly smile.

"W-what?" Ichigo asked, turning slightly red.

"Ha ha," Renji laughed. "Yeah Ichigo, really 'cute'."

"Hey you guys, shut up!" Ichigo replied.

They all settled down when they felt Byakuya approaching. They waited for the door to open, revealing a not quite calm looking Byakuya on the other side.

"Oh no," Ichigo said. "What did they…?"

"I haven't been stripped of my title or anything," Byakuya stated.

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"However," Byakuya continued. "I must marry within a year, and give them an heir as quickly as possible after."

Both Shunsui and Jushiro frowned. 'He really isn't even going to get a chance,' Jushiro thought sadly.

"They can't do that, can they?" Ichigo asked.

Byakuya didn't respond for a second and then looked at Ichigo in the eye. Ichigo couldn't read the man's expression, but something about it made him nervous. Byakuya made a sudden move, reaching for Ichigo. Ichigo stood still in shock as Byakuya grabbed his arms, his eyes holding Ichigo's with their intensity.

Suddenly, and in front of everyone, Byakuya kissed him.

Ichigo didn't know how to react, his eyes widened as he felt the man's lips on his own. He barely was even conscious of what was happening before Byakuya pulled away and left the room.

No one spoke for awhile.

"Err, so how long has the captain liked Ichigo?" Renji finally bluntly stated.

"Since before you left," Jushiro answered.

"What?" Ichigo asked.

* * *

_A/N: I learned something new today. It is proper to use "an" when the next word starts with OR sounds as if it starts with a vowel. Heir sounds like air, hence, the "an" is appropriate. Isn't that weird? Yeah, I know, end a really emotionally laden chapter with a grammar discussion. I went ahead and wrote this chapter because it was too mean to leave it on a cliffhanger for long. And then I leave you on another cliffhanger, because I'm bad that way. =)_


	10. Carpe Diem

**Carpe Diem**

_Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference. - Mignon McLaughlin, __The Neurotic's Notebook_

_A/N: I've gotten a beta, Chain of Fate (thanks!). There have been a couple of non-plot related changes in past chapters correcting grammar and making things a little clearer. Also, sorry for the delay, but real life is being way to engaging lately. I have no excuse but to say that I've been working hard and having a lot of fun. Also, I will be eventually filling in the details about Renji's disappearance/reappearance but this is Ichigo and Byakuya's chapter._

* * *

Ichigo didn't really hear much of what went on after Byakuya left. The confession from Jushiro and Shunsui that Byakuya had liked him…actually more than just liked him…for quite some time had really thrown him for a loop.

He had decided to spend time in Byakuya's garden. Despite whatever Byakuya might think, it wasn't that Ichigo didn't know that it was Byakuya's private garden; it was just that Ichigo liked it _because_ it was Byakuya's garden. At first he had done it just to subtly annoy the noble, but then he grew to enjoy the brief conversations that spawned from them running into each other while wandering around the overgrown place. Everything else in the whole estate was trimmed and gardened to perfection, but this one spot had attracted Ichigo because it was the only thing vaguely wild about the entire yard. Wildflowers and mossy rocks, a slow moving stream accented with an old wooden bridge, and low hanging trees providing shade were the drawing factors to Ichigo.

He sat with his back to a weeping willow, chewing on a piece of long grass he had picked. It was getting dark though, and the air was beginning to chill. With a sigh he stood up, squared his shoulders and marched into the house.

It wasn't like he had never thought of Byakuya that way, it was just that he never thought that he had a right to think of him that way. Any thoughts had just been pure fantasy, sprung up just because of the growing closeness of the two men and the admission from Byakuya that he liked men as well as women. Ichigo had attributed any time he got turned on or a little flushed in Byakuya's presence simply as hormones. That wasn't really the case though, now that Ichigo looked at it. If that was the case, then he would have thought of Renji like that sometimes. After all, they even shared the same bed on occasion, before Ichigo had gotten his lieutenant's quarters.

Byakuya always seemed kind of like an ideal, far away and impossible to touch. Now that he was touchable, did Ichigo really want him?

The answer was actually easy, but Ichigo wrestled with it for some time before giving in, because it was giving in to something that would be hard and in the end, painful. But Ichigo had long outgrown trying to run away from problems. He knew from experience that it only made things worse, and in this case time was of the essence.

* * *

'How often have I imagined him knocking on my door like this? But now that I don't want to face him is when he finally comes,' Byakuya thought to himself. He could easily feel the agitated presence on the other side of the door, even before Ichigo had gotten the courage to knock. 'I could pretend I went to bed early,' Byakuya considered. But he doubt that Ichigo would be deterred that easy.

"Yes?" he asked, opening his door.

Ichigo didn't say anything, but came in. Byakuya moved aside and let him. The two men faced each other in the dim orange light of the fire that was warming Byakuya's sitting room. Neither one of them would look each other in the eye; both were at a loss for words. Talking about emotions and feelings was foreign to both of them. So, Ichigo just stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Byakuya's shoulders, and kissed him.

The first time he had been a little too startled to register much aside from the fact that Byakuya was kissing him. This time he noticed the smoothness of Byakuya's lips against his own torn ones, how he had caught up to Byakuya's height during his last growth spurt, and that he tasted of the tea that he had most likely just been drinking. Ichigo hadn't really had a lot of experience kissing people, but he tried to convey everything he wanted to say into the action, longing and hope and a little bit of apology.

When he pulled away, his eyes finally met Byakuya's gray ones.

"You are foolish," Byakuya said.

"As always," Ichigo admitted with a small smile.

"You should go," Byakuya told the boy in his arms, although he made no attempt to untangle himself.

"I usually don't do what I should do," Ichigo replied. "Besides, I'm not sure that it's really what is right."

"Right? All of sudden now you are considered with what is right?" Byakuya said harshly.

Ichigo winced a little. "I get it, you're mad. You have every right to be. However, that doesn't mean I'm wrong about this."

"What is 'this'?" Byakuya questioned.

"Us," Ichigo said simply. "Us being together," he elaborated.

"You are foolish."

"And you're repeating yourself," Ichigo grinned. He ran his fingers through Byakuya's hair, which was for once free of the kenseikan. "A lot softer than I thought it would be," he said out loud.

"Oh, and do you spend a large amount of time considering my hair's properties?" Byakuya asked archly.

"Now isn't the time to play dumb," Ichigo chided the nobleman.

There was a pause and then he felt Byakuya's hands at his head, running through his hair. He couldn't help but close his eyes and enjoy the sensation.

"So it's naturally just spiked?" Byakuya asked. He too found Ichigo's hair soft to the touch but didn't mention it since he had just made fun of Ichigo for doing so.

"You think I'd spend the time to make it look like this deliberately?" Ichigo laughed.

'He's so close,' Byakuya thought, reveling a little in the warmth of Ichigo's embrace. Before he noticed what he was doing, he had pulled Ichigo in for another kiss.

This time Ichigo allowed himself to be led, melting a little into Byakuya. His eyes widened as he felt Byakuya's tongue slip into his mouth. His heart began to speed up and he felt hot all over as Byakuya's tongue encouraged his own to move.

"Wow," Ichigo said as the kiss ended.

Byakuya leaned his forehead onto Ichigo's. "You don't know what you're doing, do you?" Byakuya asked.

Ichigo blushed deeply. "I-I I'm not very experienced but I…"

He was surprised to hear a low chuckle from Byakuya. "That's not what I meant," Byakuya told him. "Although, I find your admission a little endearing."

"In the world of the living, in my area at least, being gay is still kind of a big deal," Ichigo said.

"How childish."

"I agree. I assumed it would be better to come out in college and stuff, but then I wound up here, so I haven't really…done anything…"

"You are gay and not bisexual?" Byakuya queried.

"I almost died when Rukia was giving birth," Ichigo admitted.

Byakuya smiled. He wouldn't admit to how petrified he had been himself during the whole process out loud, but he did sympathize with Ichigo. "I meant, you don't know what you're doing by coming here," Byakuya clarified his earlier statement.

"Oh. Yes, I do," Ichigo replied. "I thought about it all afternoon. If you have to get married in a year, then that means we have a year to be together. I figured we should get a jump start on it right away."

Byakuya blinked. "What?"

"Look, I've decided. And so did you, when you kissed me," Ichigo stated. "You could have just kept your secret, but you decided to act on it while there still was a chance. Well, we do still have a chance. It's only a year, but I don't see why we should be alone during that year."

"Ichigo…"

"If you already love me, then it's not like things can get any worse, and if I love you it's the same for me," Ichigo explained.

"Do you love me?" Byakuya asked.

"Technically, you haven't even admitted to having a crush on me," Ichigo pressed.

There was a pause before Byakuya quietly stated, "I love you, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"I..I'm pretty sure I love you, Byakuya," Ichigo said.

"Pretty sure?" Byakuya questioned.

"I…no, I'm sure."

"Then say it again."

"So demanding," Ichigo joked. He knew that Byakuya was serious though. "I love you, Byakuya." Byakuya pulled him into a tender kiss, his lips just barely caressing Ichigo's own. Ichigo softly moaned.

"You should still leave," Byakuya pointed out.

"Why?"

"You've just admitted to me that you have no experience, and I'm not sure how able I will be to restrain myself if you continue to make noises like that and keep saying things like you love me."

"Didn't I just say we only had a year? I don't see any point in waiting for anything. Haven't you been waiting for years?" Ichigo asked.

"That certainly doesn't mean we should rush things," Byakuya said.

"Well, as of now I'm moving into your room."

"Smart mouth," Byakuya responded. "Besides, what will we tell the staff?"

"That you're taking me as a lover until you get married. Your family is already getting what they want; they'll just wait it out."

"Fine."

"Really?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, I will allow you to sleep in my bed tonight, but nothing more than that."

"That's good enough for me," Ichigo said.

* * *

_(Lemon Warning)_

Byakuya had one of "those" dreams again. Ichigo was in his bed and rubbing against him. It took a few moments for him to realize that it wasn't a dream and that he was that one pushing himself along Ichigo's body. Not that Ichigo really seemed to mind.

Ichigo's face was flushed and he was gasping. "Byakuya," he called out, holding the other man tightly.

"Sorry, I…" Byakuya didn't know what excuse he would have given, but it didn't matter because Ichigo was having none of it. Ichigo simply kissed Byakuya to stop him from talking.

Lying in bed, Ichigo's bare chest rubbing against him, feeling Ichigo's arousal pressing into his hip, Byakuya knew that even if there was a way to slow things down he wouldn't. 'I don't have to go all the way with him,' he assured himself. 'I'll just…I just need…need…" Ichigo's hand had gone to Byakuya's clothed erection and Byakuya could do nothing but jut into Ichigo's encircling hand.

Byakuya was kissing at Ichigo's chest passionately, removing the boy's sleeping pants with one hand while already exploring Ichigo's newly naked ass with his other. Ichigo's flush was now covered almost his whole body, his chest tinged pink. Byakuya removed his hands only to quickly remove his own clothing.

Both men moaned loudly as their now naked bodies pressed up against each other for the first time. For a couple of moments they did nothing but rut into each other, enjoying the friction and the fresh sensation of hot skin that was quickly becoming slick with a layer of sweat. Byakuya began to suck on Ichigo's neck, and Ichigo gasped and clutched at Byakuya's back, his fingers roughly traveling along the nobleman's tensed muscles, pulling him closer.

Suddenly, Byakuya was on top of him, looking down at him intensely, hungrily. Ichigo shuddered as he watched the emotions swirling through his lovers' slate gray eyes.

"Byakuya?" Ichigo didn't know what he was asking, but it didn't matter because Byakuya started to kiss down his chest.

Ichigo was panting as Byakuya's lips ghosted along his stomach, the nobleman pausing to suck gently at his hip bone. "You…you…" Ichigo gasped. He felt hot breath flow over his erection, and he twitched as he felt a velvety tongue lick across the tip of it. "Byakuya…" Ichigo breathed.

Byakuya changed his position so that he could clearly look up at Ichigo. "You could always beg me to stop," Byakuya said with a glint in his eyes.

"Don't you dare!" Ichigo replied.

Byakuya chuckled and then, with a suddenness that Ichigo didn't expect, wrapped that haughty mouth of his around Ichigo's cock. Byakuya already had his hands at Ichigo's hips, preventing him from bucking up into his mouth, which was good because Ichigo was losing all control, wildly thrusting as he felt Byakuya's hot mouth surround him.

"It's so…it feels so…" Ichigo couldn't complete his sentences because he wasn't even completely his thoughts. He placed a hand at Byakuya's head, never imagining he'd be feeling it bob up on down on him like this; the other hand was digging into the pad they were laying on.

One part of Ichigo wanted to close his eyes to full enjoy what he was feeling, but the other part of him never wanted to forget what Byakuya Kuchiki looked like while he was pleasuring him.

Byakuya moved his hands away from Ichigo's hips and grabbed around him, massaging at his ass while taking more of Ichigo into his mouth and down his throat.

"Fuck!" Ichigo yelled, knowing that Byakuya didn't really appreciate cursing but not able to stop it. He felt helpless in the best of possible ways, completely at the mercy of his lover. "Too much…" Ichigo got out. "Going to…"

Byakuya didn't stop though, merely increasing his speed.

"Byakuya!" Ichigo practically yelled as he came. Even as the world temporarily went out of focus, Ichigo still kept his eyes on the beautiful man that was now drinking him down, seemingly swallowing Ichigo's entire being with just a simple sex act.

Then wonder of all wonders, but he finally got to get a good look at Byakuya's very red, very aroused cock. It took Ichigo a moment to realize what Byakuya was doing. His eyes widened as he watched the normally untouchable captain grab himself and pull in long strokes.

"Beautiful," Ichigo said out loud as he regained his senses. As much as he was enjoying this normally hidden side of Byakuya, he wanted to be touching him more. He wanted to at least give the man a fraction of the pleasure that he had just been granted.

Ichigo took a couple more gasps of air and then sat up, pushing Byakuya's hand aside. He wasn't quite sure of his abilities but he at least wanted to kiss…he bent over and took Byakuya's cock into his mouth, at least as much of it as he could. He could feel the man over him shudder in pleasure. Ichigo pulled back, removing his mouth, but having sufficiently wetted it, wrapped his hand around Byakuya and began to finish the job that Byakuya had started.

He felt Byakuya's hand along his jaw and allowed his head to be lifted up, sharing a passionate and messy kiss with Byakuya as he continued to pump him. Byakuya pulled away and leaned on Ichigo, resting his head on his shoulder as he moaned in pleasure. Ichigo felt the man's hands at his back suddenly tense. "I love you," Ichigo said, just as he pushed Byakuya into orgasm.

The two of them sat, holding each other as Byakuya gathered himself.

"I think we could use a shower," Byakuya said, his noble nose wrinkled slightly.

"Ah come on, that's just the smell of a job well done," Ichigo teased.

"I can shower alone," Byakuya said over his shoulder as he wandered to his private bathroom.

"Wait…so I can come?" Ichigo quickly followed him.

_(End Lemon)_

* * *

"Do you think that they won't come?" Rukia wondered.

"I doubt the Captain would hide out from Ichigo," Renji said, not bothering to wait to begin eating breakfast.

If their little family hadn't been relocated to a more remote location on the estate they would have known why the two men were late. As it was, when Ichigo and Byakuya walked into the room together, joined at the hands, Rukia almost fainted and Renji choked a little on his eggs.

"Uh, hi," Renji offered.

"Hey, don't eat all the eggs!" Ichigo said, quickly sitting down and setting food onto his plate.

"So…" Rukia wasn't sure how to start to conversation.

"What?" Byakuya asked cooly.

"Nothing!" Both Rukia and Renji said at the same time.

Ichigo just laughed. He would answer any questions they had in private, but for now he was going to make his friends sweat it out.


	11. Finding a Suitable Wife

**Finding a Suitable Wife**

_Love at first sight is often cured by a second look.  
Love is sweet when it's new, but sweeter when it's true._

_Love is like a butterfly, it settles upon you when you least expect it._

_Love is the hardest habit to break, and the most difficult to satisfy.  
- Drew Marrymore_

_A/N: Once again, much thanks to my beta, Chain of Fate_

* * *

"Whoever you choose, I want to meet her," Ichigo said as they reclined in bed that evening.

Byakuya sighed.

"It's not like she's going to be unaware of our relationship, since we're not keeping it secret, and it's not like you have to introduce me as your…lover…or anything. I just want to make sure that she'll be good for you," Ichigo explained.

"My best hope is just someone that won't be too much of a nuisance," Byakuya replied.

"Well, that's not very fair to your future children. You should at least pick someone that you respect and that you can imagine your children looking up to."

"I suppose you are right. Can we not talk about this?"

"Well, you're meeting the first one tomorrow so I thought I'd bring it up. By the way, the elders sure moved quickly on this, didn't they? I mean, I'm not even sure that they know that you and I are together at this point," Ichigo pointed out.

"Well, if they had bothered to ask me, or let me pick the women I'd be meeting, then perhaps they'd be better informed," Byakuya said dryly. "Enough about this topic for now," he repeated.

"Alright," Ichigo agreed, snuggling up to Byakuya and yawning.

* * *

"Lady Hitomi Kobayashi," the lady's chaperone introduced her to Lord Kuchiki and his staff.

She bowed, giggling slightly. Byakuya was already getting a headache. He restrained a sigh and led her into the smallest formal guest room and prepared to suffer through small talk until their dinner was ready.

'At least this isn't as formal as it could be,' Byakuya thought to himself. 'We aren't in front of both of our families. As Ichigo pointed out before, at least they are letting me pick someone instead of arranging it for me. Hopefully I can find someone that I can live with.'

"Are you planning on going to the Sasaki's garden party?" Lady Kobayashi asked.

"I haven't checked my schedule yet," Byakuya replied. 'Of course not,' he thought to himself. 'Their parties only involve drinking and people making fools of themselves.'

"I always love their parties so much! They have the best sake. You know, they make it themselves. And their musicians are always so interesting, and they always invite such intriguing artists…" Lady Kobayashi said a good deal many things after that but Byakuya had found that watching the hummingbird outside at the feeder by the window was much more engaging. The woman occasionally stopped to giggle and Byakuya would give an obligatory nod to indicate (falsely) that he was intently listening to her blather about all of her social gatherings and the dresses that she wore and the ugly dresses that other people wore and how everyone always loved to invite her over because she was so much fun.

She didn't stop to ask a single question about him, and Byakuya began to wonder if he even had to fake interest or if she would notice if he slowly crept out of the room. Luckily, Byakuya had decades of experience dealing with people like her. Still, the fact that she could be considered a candidate for his wife made him silently shudder.

'It's going to be a long evening,' Byakuya thought to himself.

* * *

"Well, I can tell he's not doing that great," Ichigo said to Rukia, bouncing Asuma gently in his arms.

"You're getting better at sensing spiritual pressure," Rukia replied.

"Nope, just better at sensing Byakuya's," Ichigo laughed.

"Yeah, the captain is definitely annoyed. His spiritual pressure feels the same as when I forget to do the day's paperwork and have to hurry to do it last minute," Renji said.

"Maybe we can take Asuma out there and hope that he spits up on her," Ichigo said with an evil smile.

"Oh, let's do it!" Renji agreed.

"No!" Rukia said, taking Asuma protectively into her arms.

* * *

"Thank you for coming, Lady Haruka Tanaka," Byakuya greeted the lady with the slightest of bows.

He was feeling a little hot since he had to wear his scarf tightly around his neck to cover the red marks that Ichigo had accidentally given him that night (although to be honest, Byakuya had to wonder how "accidental" it really was).

"Oh wow, your house is so lovely!" the woman smiled up at him.

Byakuya had to admit that the evening was going a lot better than the last one, until he realized something as they ate their second course.

She was dumb as a box of rocks.

She didn't giggle like Lady Kobayashi did, but she did gape quite a bit, seemingly amazed at the smallest thing.

'Perhaps she is trying to inflate my ego?' Byakuya wondered to himself.

"Have you ever wondered why flowers always bloom in the spring?" Lady Tanaka asked, as they sipped tea and looked over his formal garden near the eastern part of his estate.

"I'm not sure I understand the question," Byakuya replied.

"Well, I mean, I wonder why sakura flowers don't sometimes bloom in winter. I mean, how do they know? They're just flowers," she pondered.

Byakuya briefly considered giving her a quick botany lesson, but decided that if the idea of seasons was beyond her, anything else he had to add would fly by her head.

"It's a mystery," he said, stone faced.

* * *

"He seems a little amused this time," Ichigo said, passing the soccer ball to Renji.

"I think you're right," Renji agreed, juggling the ball for awhile.

"Show off," Ichigo replied as Renji did a bicycle kick, the ball flying past Ichigo's head.

* * *

"Lady Nanako Maruyama, here to meet with Lord Byakuya Kuchiki," the man intoned.

Byakuya greeted the lady with the greatest of care. By her stony attitude he figured that she was very used to the highest level of civility and formality.

As a servant led them into a waiting room to talk before dinner, she made a small noise. After they were seated, she spoke up. "You really shouldn't allow _them_ to turn their back towards you," she said.

Byakuya knew by the intonation that "them" probably meant most anyone not quite as noble as they were. It was an ancient rule, but not one that he or his staff cared to keep. In fact, his grandfather hadn't kept with that particular tradition either, except during formal ceremonies where everything was set in stone.

"I'm sorry if my servants have offended you," Byakuya said.

"Oh, not for me, I'm not nearly as noble as you. But you of course must always be attended to with the highest respect," Lady Maruyama replied.

As the evening progressed, Byakuya realized that she wasn't so much a snob of her own right, although she was that as well, but she was more a snob by proxy, seeing slights to himself in the smallest of things. She dropped names of all of the famous and noble people she had met and ate with the most delicate manner, in a way that Byakuya knew was most likely practiced in front of mirror. Every hair was perfectly in place, her obi sat in the exact place it should at the exact tightness, and Byakuya had no doubt that she would panic if her (hidden) silk stockings got a run.

His own wife had been delicate and of fine manner herself, despite being poor, but it was natural. The being in front of him was utterly processed to the nth degree, and not for any purpose other than purely cosmetic reasons. Inside, as she gossiped about people who had happened to lower themselves in front of her, she was as ugly and dirty as a rukon district street urchin (or at least how _she _would imagine them to be, since Byakuya himself knew that great people could come even from that low birth). Somehow her fakeness made Byakuya's skin itch more than any of the other women he had met. To kiss this woman, to sleep with her? To have his children raised in the presence of her? He would never have the horror.

However, two could play the game that she was playing, and he had been well trained for formal events, so he put on his best blankly cool face and accepted her companionship for the brief amount of time that he'd be forced too, convinced that he would make sure to never see her again.

* * *

"You ok?" Ichigo asked as Byakuya walked into their shared room. "You actually look happy."

"It was a very boring and draining evening with a very spectacular end," Byakuya replied with a slight smile.

"You almost look mischievous. What did you do?" Ichigo asked, helping Byakuya get undressed.

"I had Rukia bring Asuma in. Lady Maruyama of course wanted to prove that she'd be a good mother, so she attempted to take him and he promptly spit up all over her fine kimono," Byakuya said with a chuckle.

"Hey, that was my idea!" Ichigo grinned.

"And then I told her to not worry, because my lover, Ichigo Kurosaki loved taking care of Asuma, so I was sure he'd be great with our children."

Ichigo actually put a hand to his mouth. "Seriously?"

"Completely."

"That's amazing," Ichigo said with a giggle. "Oh man…did she just run out or what?"

"Oh no, she was too well bred for that. I could tell she was uncomfortable though, so I dragged the evening on as long as possible," Byakuya said with a smirk.

"Well, someone deserves a reward for having to deal with a couple nights of harpies," Ichigo said, massaging Byakuya's bare back.

Byakuya groaned and pushed back into Ichigo's kneading hands.

"You know, I know of an ancient technique to help relieve the body of stress," Ichigo said from behind Byakuya.

"Mmm," Byakuya moaned as he felt his muscles loosening under Ichigo's fingers. "What would that be?"

"I was hoping that you'd finally take me tonight," Ichigo whispered into Byakuya's ear.

Byakuya's half lidded eyes suddenly opened. "We can take all the time you need," he told his still semi-virgin lover.

"Please? I kind of…got a little ready…" Ichigo stated.

Byakuya was very interested to know what that meant.

"Er, Shunsui dropped off some things the other day and told me how to use them. I died a little when he talked about it, but at least now I know," Ichigo said, blushing slightly. "I'm…er…clean. I…was going to loosen up a little but I'm…still unsure…well…"

'Where did all my boldness go?' Ichigo groaned inwardly.

Byakuya had a smile on his lips though. "You are adorable sometimes."

"When I'm not annoying."

"When you're not annoying," Byakuya agreed, finally turning towards Ichigo and pulling him close. "Do you really want to do this?"

"You're the one that keeps putting it off," Ichigo said. "I'm beginning to wonder if you don't like me," he joked.

"It's just that I'm a little…dominant when I get into things," Byakuya told his lover.

Ichigo trembled slightly. "I'm listening," he said.

"Hm," Byakuya smiled. He pulled at the loose tie of Ichigo's robe, smelling the soap and softly scented water of his estate's private bathhouse. "I suppose I should be gentle though."

"You don't have to be," Ichigo stated. "I'm not a woman. I can handle it."

"The first time should always be gentle," Byakuya chided.

"How about both firm and gentle?" Ichigo asked. He didn't really want to say it, but the idea of Byakuya bossing him around in the bedroom was more than a little of a turn on.

* * *

_(Lemon)_

"Breathe," Byakuya told Ichigo. "You're going to have to relax."

"It's just seems…kind of dirty for someone like you," Ichigo stated, looking over his shoulder at his lover.

"It's possible that one of the main points of making love is getting dirty and messy. It tears down walls and exposes one," Byakuya told Ichigo. "It's not like kissing is that clean, really…or any of the other things we've been doing."

"I know," Ichigo said, feeling himself tighten uncomfortably again.

"Turn around," Byakuya instructed.

Ichigo flipped over onto his back. Byakuya climbed up onto him and kissed him passionately. Without thinking, Ichigo pressed himself up into the man. Byakuya's tongue delved into his mouth and Ichigo moaned. His eyes widened as he felt Byakuya press a single finger into him. He opened his mouth to complain but Byakuya was now pressing his body against Ichigo rhythmically, setting Ichigo on fire. "Ah!" Ichigo gasped as he felt the warmth of Byakuya's body infect his own with heat and desire. Byakuya entered another finger into Ichigo and was now pumping into him. Ichigo felt himself begin to meet Byakuya's fingers, pressing down on them. He didn't miss Byakuya's chuckle as he did so, but it didn't remotely stop him. Byakuya's fingers stretched and twisted inside Ichigo until he cried out in intense pleasure, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Mmm, enjoying yourself?" Byakuya said, moving his lips down to Ichigo's neck.

Ichigo would have made a smart ass reply if he could have, but he was still enjoying himself too much to do anything that might make Byakuya's magic fingers stop rubbing and caressing his insides in such a delicious manner. "Fuck," Ichigo finally got out.

"Only naughty boys curse," Byakuya said, deliberately pressing down firmly on Ichigo's prostate.

Ichigo issued a strangled cry. He even gladly welcomed Byakuya's third finger, now loving the idea of his lover inside him, loving the fullness he was feeling, the connectedness that they had in body now as well as spirit.

"More," Ichigo begged.

"Hm?" Byakuya asked calmly, although sweat was condensing at his brow and his face was flushed, his mouth swollen and red from his assault on Ichigo's upper half.

"Please…" Ichigo said.

Byakuya smiled at that, wondering how often that particular word left Ichigo's mouth. He removed his lubed fingers and took time to gently coat his very ready to be utilized cock. Byakuya bit his lip to keep from gasping at the cool liquid hit his throbbing hot hardness. He briefly looked down at his lover, seeing the look of abandon in Ichigo's eyes and loving it. With a smirk, he placed himself at Ichigo's entrance. He lost it the second he pressed into Ichigo's tight muscle, letting a gasp escape him.

Ichigo called out, whether in pleasure or pain (or both), Byakuya didn't know. He steadied himself, fending off the desire to fully seat himself, to pull in and out of Ichigo again and again until they were both practically screaming. 'It's his first time,' Byakuya tried to remind himself. 'Take it easy.'

"Now, Byakuya. Don't wait! Now!" Ichigo called out, and Byakuya felt his will break.

With a swift move he pressed himself in fully. He spent a half second making sure that he hadn't hurt the boy, and then pulled out again, and then fully in. Seeing Ichigo's face, blessed with pleasure, he began a relentless attack on Ichigo, setting a hard pace that made both of them gasp for breath.

'Too long, it's been too long,' Byakuya told himself. 'And he…he is so very perfect. And in this moment, we are perfect together.'

"Ah, Byakuya, I…I think I'm…" Ichigo said, after only a couple of minutes.

'Without anything other than this?' Byakuya wondered.

Ichigo's body contracted, his legs flexing and his mouth open in a wide moan. Byakuya marveled at the feel of it, but he was even more surprised when Ichigo didn't ejaculate and still maintained his hardness. Byakuya smiled. 'I've heard of it, but I've never been with someone like him before,' he thought. He restrained himself from pouring out into Ichigo then and there, instead slowing down, caressing the inside of Ichigo's thighs, rubbing along his hips and stomach.

"Ahh," Ichigo moaned quickly. "What are you doing to me?"

"This time, we'll come together," Byakuya said. He bit his lip as he controlled himself, finally bringing both him and Ichigo to an unsustainable peak with teasing touches.

"I…I'm sorry, I can't…" Ichigo said between gasps.

"Now, Ichigo," Byakuya ordered Ichigo.

Ichigo came with a sigh, his body shuddering a second time, this time releasing onto his stomach. He felt Byakuya moving deep within him, pushing forward a couple more times through his strained body, before finally coming himself. Ichigo watched his lover's face carefully, loving the complete surrender in Byakuya face as the noble looked with glazed eyes down at him.

Ichigo pulled him down and the two held each other close, until Byakuya finally pulled out of him.

"I love you," Ichigo said, not letting Byakuya go.

Byakuya tenderly kissed him in response.

'There has to be a way,' Byakuya thought to himself.

'I don't think I have it in me to give him up,' Ichigo was thinking.


	12. Renji's Problem

**Renji's Problem**

_I do believe that most men live lives of quiet desperation. For despair, optimism is the only practical solution. Hope is practical. Because eliminate that and it's pretty scary. Hope at least gives you the option of living. - Harry Nilsson_

* * *

Renji was standing in a room, looking around at the blank cement walls. Suddenly a door appeared. Renji looked at the door for a moment, wondering what to do, when the wood of the door broke giving way to hundreds of arms reaching inward. Renji backed up quickly, his back to the cold hard wall, when it disappeared. He fell backward, hitting water and sinking rapidly. He began to swim towards the surface, when the reeds around him began to wrap around his body. Renji struggled against the plants, feeling his chest begin to burn from lack of oxygen. The reeds began to bloom, bulbs appearing on every inch, opening into eyes that glared at him. Renji screamed and water seeped into his lungs.

Renji woke up with a start in his bed, gasping for air. He turned to Rukia, who was lying next to him. As he wrapped his arms around her, she began to turn to dust, disintegrating before his eyes. The bed began to swallow him, the sheets eating at him with sharp teeth.

"Renji!"

Renji blinked and looked up at Rukia.

It took a few moments for him to realize that he was actually awake this time. He hugged Rukia close. "It was just a bad dream," he said to her.

Rukia nodded, but didn't voice her silent worry over the fact that he had never slept a single night without nightmares since he got back. She was worried that asking him about what had happened would bring up bad memories, but she knew that it would have to be addressed eventually.

"If you want to talk…" she said, trailing off.

Renji didn't reply, and Rukia didn't force him to answer.

* * *

It was a week later, and Renji was high strung, having barely slept at all the last seven days. He was happy that at least this time he didn't wake up Rukia, or worse yet, Asuma, who slept in a bassinet next to their bed.

The annulment of Rukia and Byakuya's marriage had gone through, and Rukia and Renji had had a short ceremony with their closest friends. Captain Ukitake had signed the marriage license after talking briefly about how happy he was for the both of them, and they had spent the rest of the night dancing and drinking. Well, Byakuya didn't really do either, but he watched amused as various women grabbed the slightly tipsy Ichigo and forced him to dance with them. He had even almost laughed when Renji and Ichigo had hilariously danced with each other, Renji dipping Ichigo back and Ichigo slapping Renji when Renji made a fake grab for his ass.

_My wife,_ Renji said, thinking of Rukia, still getting used to the idea of being married and having a family.

He paused in the doorway, looking out over one of the many gardens that surrounded the Kuchiki estate. He sighed as he looked up at the sky. _I should have never come back, _he thought to himself. _I'm losing my nerve. I should have just killed myself before I got caught up in everything, but now it's getting harder. I just wanted to see everyone again. It was probably selfish of me. It would have been better for everyone if I had just died and disappeared._

* * *

"You're not eating," Ichigo said.

"Uh…" Renji stared at the tray in front of him. "Guess I'm not hungry."

"I don't think that's physically possible," Ichigo said incredulously.

Rukia didn't say anything, just watched with worried eyes. Ichigo looked over at her, frowning.

After breakfast, he pulled her aside.

"Rukia, what's going on?" he asked.

"Renji is just…having problems," Rukia answered vaguely.

"Is he not adjusting to being married and having a kid or…"

"No, it's not that. He's great with Asuma and seems to be genuinely happy…some of the times. But whatever they did to him while he was away…" Rukia replied.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked. "How did he get away?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there when Squad 2 debriefed him, and he hasn't brought it up," Rukia said.

"Well, bring it up," Ichigo urged.

"I don't know that I can. Whenever I start to, he just looks at me in this weird way that stops me in my tracks," Rukia stated. "I just assumed that he'd talk about it eventually, but he hasn't yet. Maybe he just needs more time."

"Maybe," Ichigo said doubtfully.

* * *

"What?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"I said I'm not ready to go back to work," Renji replied, not meeting his captain's eyes.

Byakuya paused. In the past when Renji had been injured, it had always been the opposite; Renji would rush back to work in head to toe bandages. Byakuya had assumed that Renji was already beginning to feel cooped up and the only reason he had suggested that should Renji return to work was because he assumed that Renji wanted to. He had been acting odd and Byakuya chalked it up to restlessness. "If you don't feel ready to come back then take whatever time you need," Byakuya said, none of his worry coming across in his tone.

"I…might not…" Renji started.

Byakuya stared at him for a moment.

Renji turned red and then finished. "Uh, sure, I'll let you know," he said, before rushing off.

_I can't help but get the feeling that he almost said that he wouldn't ever be returning,_ Byakuya thought.

He hadn't considered the idea that Renji might be unfit to return to his post. The idea was worrying. As annoying as Renji was, he had at least been broken in and knew what to expect of his captain, and no matter how impetuous Renji could be he was fiercely loyal and a good fighter.

_I'll ask Rukia about it,_ Byakuya decided.

* * *

"Ok, Renji," Ichigo said, "Enough bullshit."

"Don't cuss in front of the baby!" Renji replied.

"Uh, does bullshit count as cussing?" Ichigo wondered aloud. "Hey, what the hell! You cuss all the time!"

"He's changing the subject," Rukia said, her hands crossed as she faced her husband.

Renji sighed and put Asuma back down into the play crib. "What?" he asked defensively.

"What is going on with you?" Ichigo asked. "Why won't you go back to work?"

"I'm not sleeping well. I don't want to go back when I'm still not feeling 100% better," Renji replied.

"He's lying," Rukia said. "He's not planning on going back."

"What happened?" Ichigo asked. "I'm not asking for anything super detailed, I just want to know what's going on with you. At the very least tell your wife."

Renji looked at the two of them helplessly.

"Renji?" Rukia pushed.

"I…can't say anything," Renji said. "I really can't. There are eyes and ears everywhere. They're watching me always. I can't say anything. Nothing is hidden."

Ichigo mouth had dropped open. Rukia was biting her lip. The two of them exchanged a glance.

"Er…ok," Rukia told Renji. "It's ok, we won't press you."

* * *

"What the hell was that!" Rukia yelled at Ichigo.

Ichigo knew that she wasn't mad at him. They were both rather perplexed by Renji's odd answer.

"He seems normal most of the time, right?" Ichigo asked.

"I guess so. I mean, he's a lot quieter than usual, and of course he'd be acting a little different after going through…whatever he went through," Rukia offered.

"I mean, it doesn't seem like he's crazy," Ichigo said.

"Not…really. I mean, when he's not babbling about eyes watching him."

"It's happened before?" Ichigo asked.

"He says stuff like that after his nightmares."

"Nightmares?"

"Yeah, every night he has nightmares," Rukia said. "I don't know how to help him."

Ichigo didn't know either.

* * *

"Your pacing is distracting," Byakuya said.

"Aw, you're getting soft already," Ichigo replied with a smile.

"I fail to see how."

"You would normally have said it was annoying or insulted my intelligence or something," Ichigo told him.

Byakuya sighed. "Well, you're annoying me now. Is that better?"

"What are you going to do about Renji?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know," Byakuya admitted. "Captain Unohana has told me that he hasn't been going to any of his counseling sessions either, so I doubt it's going to get better any time soon. It's not like you can just quit being lieutenant, although I suppose he could get leave for being mentally unstable."

"Do you think he's mentally unstable?"

"You know him better than I do, at least outside the professional arena," Byakuya said.

"You mean he's more likely to talk to me, right?"

"Yes."

"Well he hasn't, and he's not talking to Rukia either," Ichigo pointed out.

Byakuya put down the reports he was looking through. "What is your personal opinion then?"

"I think…I think that Renji wouldn't be worried about nothing. I mean, I'm not a psychologist or anything, but Renji is a very on the surface kind of guy."

"Posttraumatic stress disorder can affect anyone," Byakuya pointed out.

"I know that, but still, I can't help but think that Renji felt like he was actually warning us about something," Ichigo said.

"Like what?"

"Like eyes and ears," Ichigo replied vaguely.

"_Now_ you're being annoying," Byakuya pointed out.

"Ah, but you love me anyways, right?"

"No," Byakuya said, picking up his reports again.

Ichigo just laughed at him and sat on Byakuya's lap, on top of the reports.

* * *

Renji woke up the second that the blindfold was being tied around his eyes.

"Take it easy," Ichigo said to him.

"Don't worry, just another stupid idea of Ichigo's," Rukia told her husband.

Ichigo led the blinded Renji towards a table, and then pulled him down. Renji sat down, wondering what was going on.

"Don't say anything," Ichigo said, pressing something into Renji's hand.

It took a moment for Renji to understand, and then he placed his hand on the table, finding the piece of paper there. He began to write, his letters slightly off center and wobbly looking, but still legible.

Rukia and Ichigo read the paper, flanking Renji as he wrote. It wasn't very long. At the last sentence, Rukia began to shake. She grabbed Renji's shoulders tightly. He had stopped writing, so Ichigo took the blindfold off him and Rukia led him back to their room.

"I'm sorry," Renji said, as Rukia completely broke down and started crying in his arms.

"Don't," she told him. "Just don't."

Asuma woke up and started crying too. Rukia pulled him out of his bassinet, tears still streaming down her face. Renji wrapped his arms around both of them, holding them close.

"I'm sorry," he eventually said.

"Dummy," was all Rukia replied with.

* * *

Ichigo took the paper to Byakuya, who was reading poetry and drinking tea by the fire.

"You're up late," Ichigo said.

Byakuya took note of the serious tone of Ichigo's voice and looked up. "Well, I knew you were up to something tonight."

Ichigo handed him the scribbled message from Renji.

_They put something in me. It is like a time bomb, a virus or something. They told me that they'd kill me if I told anyone about it. They can see everything I see and hear everything that I hear. I lied to Squad 2 about escaping. They let me go on purpose. I didn't want to go back to Squad 6 because I know it's what they want. I never was going to betray anyone like that, but I wanted to see Rukia one last time. I want to kill myself, I want to die._

Byakuya frowned at the paper then looked up at Ichigo. "Wouldn't the medical tests he had when he got back have detected something like this?" he asked.

"Why are you asking me? You'd be more likely to know," Ichigo pointed out.

"Well, at least he's not crazy then," Byakuya said.

"Crazy enough to want to die," Ichigo replied.

"It's not crazy to die to protect the ones you care about."

* * *

"What's this? A visit? You must have missed my handsome face," Kisuke said.

Ichigo didn't reply, simply throwing a quick punch at Kisuke's face. Kisuke easily blocked it. "You're becoming so predicable in your old age," Kisuke chided him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Are you talking to me about old age? You're a veritable dinosaur. Tell me, was it exciting discovering fire for the first time?"

"Maybe you have a sweet tooth?" Kisuke asked, ignoring Ichigo's jab.

"Oh, you want to know why I'm here?"

There was a pause, as Kisuke waited for Ichigo to speak up. Ichigo pretended to look over a new flavor of gum that Kisuke had.

Kisuke finally jumped in. "Is this about little Kuchiki?"

"Er…who would that be?" Ichigo asked.

"Byakuya Kuchiki."

"He's not really little."

"I remember when he was," Kisuke pointed out.

"You're a dinosaur, like I said," Ichigo rejoined.

"So, come on, you're here for advice, right?" Kisuke pressed.

"I really have no idea what you are talking about," Ichigo was honestly confused.

"I mean, you want to know how you and Byakuya can be happily ever after."

"Not really. Well, I mean yes, but that's not why I came. Why, you have an idea?" Ichigo asked.

"Of course I do. A sure to work 100% guaranteed plan," Kisuke said.

"What, worked out in advance? How did you know I was coming?"

"I knew that you'd eventually get two brain cells to successfully fire off at the same time and realize that I'm the best person to come to for this," Kisuke replied.

Honestly, it hadn't even crossed Ichigo's mind to ask Kisuke for help.

Kisuke stared. "It seems that I may have jumped the gun. What did you come for again?"

"Wait, tell me about your plan," Ichigo pressed.

"You first," Kisuke insisted.

"I need your help with Renji."

"Oh, you need my help with two things. This is going to be costly for you!" Kisuke grinned.

"What? What are you even talking about? It's not like I have money or anything," Ichigo wondered, his hand at his head.

"There are lots of other things you can pay me with," Kisuke smiled as he hid behind his fan.

"Can you rephrase that to not sound pervy?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh, what a dirty mind you have," Kisuke laughed.

Ichigo gritted his teeth. "Tell me your grand idea about me and Byakuya."

"Tell me about Renji Abarai first."

Ichigo paused. "You're right, that's the first priority," he agreed.


	13. Saving Renji

**Saving Renji**

A/N: I've actually had part of this chapter written for a very long time, so sorry for the wait to finish it up. Also, I have a book on Amazon out now. Check my profile for the link and a description of the book, which is a supernatural romance.

I only have one more chapter of Demonology to write, and then I'll dedicate more time to finishing this fic up too_._

_"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs. Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes. Being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers' tears. What is it else? A madness most discreet, a choking gall and a preserving sweet." - William Shakespeare_

* * *

_It's silly that I already find it hard to sleep without him,_ Byakuya thought as he turned again in bed.

The thought saddened him as he briefly pondered a lifetime of having to sleep without Ichigo. He pushed the thought out of his mind and began to count down from 100 slowly, one of his only remedies for sleepless nights.

In the morning he noted that Renji seemed a smidgen better, at least enough to eat heartily. Renji was such an open person that Byakuya imagined he felt a weight off his shoulders merely from the fact that everyone now knew why he was acting so strangely, even if the problem itself still remained. He also noticed that Rukia seemed more nervous than usual, something to be expected after finding out the her new husband had been contemplating suicide and was still in danger despite being back home, but he knew from talking to her that she was hoping that Ichigo's trip to Kisuke Urahara would bear fruit.

It was the afternoon, and Byakuya had opened his office windows to let in the light breeze. Voices came from below as several squad members began to chat. Byakuya wasn't paying any attention until he heard Ichigo's name.

"I saw you talking to Lieutenant Kurosaki this morning, what's he like?"

"He seemed a little distracted but he was actually pretty nice. You'd think that he'd be…"

Byakuya blocked out the rest of the conversation as his thoughts churned. Ichigo was back? _Well, it's not like he had to report to me the second he got home or anything,_ Byakuya considered. _He probably got back this morning and went straight in to work._

That evening, Byakuya stared at the empty spot by the table in annoyance. Ichigo tended to run late, but his food was getting cold.

By that evening though, as he got ready for bed, he was beginning to get a little worried.

_Did he not get back then?_ Byakuya wondered in confusion.

The next day, after lunch, Byakuya wandered over to Squad 13, on the pretense of chatting with Captain Ukitake and seeing how his health was doing.

"Oh, I'm doing fine," Jushiro said with a wide smile.

"Is Ichigo around?" Byakuya asked.

"He's training some squad members today. I think they went out of the Seireitei," Jushiro relayed.

"Oh," Byakuya replied.

"Is something wrong?" Jushiro said, reacting to the slight tightening of Byakuya's lips.

"No," Byakuya said shortly, taking his leave.

That night, he looked at Ichigo's empty spot at the table with more than annoyance.

He waited until nine before walking to the wing of the large house that had been designated for Rukia and Renji (and little Asuma).

"Yeah, he's back," Rukia said.

Byakuya didn't respond.

"He hasn't said anything to you?" Rukia asked.

"No," Byakuya was a little at a loss. "Is he staying at his lieutenant's quarters?"

"Actually he's…staying with Captain Zaraki," Rukia answered.

Byakuya paused. "Is there any particular reason why?" he questioned.

"He didn't really mention anything, no."

"Oh," Byakuya said simply.

As he read his family correspondence that night, he caught himself tapping his fingers restlessly on his desk. He put down the letter he was reading and briefly contemplated the ceiling before closing his eyes.

_Ichigo, what in the world is going on?_ he wondered.

It had been another day, and Byakuya was unaware that everyone in his squad was walking on egg shells around him. Ever since Renji had been gone the 3rd and 4th seats had been taking over his paperwork and training duties, but this morning instead of dropping off papers that needed to be signed on their captain's desk, they decided to leave it on the empty lieutenant's desk, scared to disturb their brooding captain any more than necessary.

Byakuya stayed in his office a couple of hours later than usual, and then walked to Squad 11.

"Hey," Kenpachi said with a wide grin, greeting him at the door of his quarters.

"Is Ichigo here?" Byakuya asked, with apparent indifference.

"Hm," Kenpachi considered the question, enjoying the very small signs of irritation that Byakuya was exhibiting.

Kenpachi had kind of a game going on, making it his mission to aggravate Byakuya whenever he could and continually trying to goad him into a fight. The chance to piss him off now was too tempting.

"Is he, or isn't he?" Byakuya asked again.

"Yeah, he's here," Kenpachi admitted.

"I want to talk to him."

"Too bad," Kenpachi said with a twisted smile.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

Kenpachi was wondering if he had finally hit Byakuya's sweet spot.

"Move aside," Byakuya demanded.

"Make me."

There was a tense silence while Kenpachi leered at Byakuya, hoping that Byakuya would get angry enough to go for his zanpakuto. Byakuya didn't seem to be making any move though, so Kenpachi decided to push a little more.

"Maybe Ichigo doesn't _want_ to see you," Kenpachi said.

"Why? What happened?" Byakuya asked.

Kenpachi shrugged. "Like I care. But I'm not gonna let you see him…unless you _make_ me."

For a second, Kenpachi was gleefully expecting Byakuya to finally break, but instead the man turned away. Kenpachi frowned.

"Fine," Byakuya said as he walked away.

_Eh, hopefully he'll come back,_ Kenpachi thought.

"You should have made it seem like Ichigo was with you now," Yachiru said, from the futon she was lying on.

"With me?"

"You know, your boyfriend," Yachiru explained.

"Oh," Kenpachi considered for a moment. "Naw, that's just too fucked up. I'm pretty sure they're crazy about each other, and even if it's stupid as hell for Ichigo to like a prick like Kuchiki it ain't my business to be an ass about it."

Ichigo came out of Yachiru's room, where he had quickly hidden when he had felt Byakuya's presence at the door. "What happened?" he asked.

"He wanted to see you. I told him no," Kenpachi said.

"He told Byakuya that you're all his now so Byakuya can just go and cry in a corner," Yachiru told him.

"WHAT!" Ichigo shouted.

"She's kidding, don't worry about it," Kenpachi assured him.

"Um, what exactly did you say then?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

* * *

Byakuya had no idea what to think of things. He could feel his anger rising, but also his fear. _Surely Ichigo would have told me if he didn't want to be with me anymore, _Byakuya thought.

Another part of him complained, _I'll be married soon, he couldn't wait?_

Even if there had been a misunderstanding between them, Ichigo just running away and not facing the problem wasn't like him. Not only that, but every day he was gone was a day less that they would be able to spend together.

_Assuming he wants to be together,_ Byakuya mulled as he tossed and turned that night in a fruitless attempt to find sleep.

It never came. Neither did Ichigo.

* * *

"Ichigo, I've been wondering where you were," Renji said when he spotted Ichigo in one of the many gardens on the Kuchiki grounds.

Ichigo had jumped a little on first hearing Renji's voice, but then calmed down. "Sorry, I thought you might be Byakuya," Ichigo told his friend.

"What are you doing?" Renji wanted to know.

"I'm supposed to dig a hole between here and here," Ichigo pointed between two large planters spread out about a dozen feet from each other. "It's supposed to be deep too."

"Just use kido," Renji suggested.

"Is that supposed to be a joke? You and I both know that I'm even worse than you are at kido," Ichigo said as he leaned on his shovel and wiped the sweat of his brow.

"Byakuya must be mad at you if he's making you dig ditches," Renji stated.

Ichigo shrugged.

"Move aside, I'll show you how to do it," Renji said.

Ichigo moved to give him a wide berth.

"I'm not _that_ bad," Renji chided him.

"We'll see," Ichigo replied.

Renji did the edges first, loosening up the dirt all around and finally stood in the middle.

"You're going to blow us all up," Ichigo told him.

"Shut up and watch," Renji bragged, letting off his last kido spell.

The ground swelled and there was a muffled explosion. And then there was water; lots of water.

"Shit," Renji said, spotting the pipe that was now broken and gushing. "Help me," he called up to Ichigo as he stood in the bottom of the pit.

The hole was deeper than Renji had intended it to be, so when Ichigo backed away, he couldn't see him any longer. He tried to patch the pipe up with mud, which worked about as well as one would expect. Above him he heard something.

By that time the water was about waist deep on Renji, and his feet kept getting stuck in mud. He was trying to not panic. When the slide came over the side of the hole, he grabbed at it. He wasn't expecting snakes though.

Hundreds and hundreds of snakes came down that chute, burying Renji.

He was now underwater, the weight the snakes pressing him into the clinging mud. Several of the unhappy critters bit him, and more got agitated as he struggled to get upright. Finally, and very suddenly, he went unconscious.

"I swear Kisuke, if you just killed him…" Ichigo said as Kisuke hauled up Renji's limp body.

Kisuke ignored him and kept working on Renji, first binding his closed eyes and then pulling out a slew of different instruments. Captain Unohana and her team came out with a stretcher to pull Renji into the large room that they had temporarily converted into a surgical center.

"Ichigo."

This time it _was_ Byakuya, and Ichigo flinched at the sound of him.

He whirled around.

"Ichigo, what's going on?" Byakuya asked, trying to be calm.

Water was still shooting up in an arc, and the muddy pit was full of slithering snakes.

"We had to overwhelm his senses so that whoever was watching would think that he had a panic attack and passed out," Ichigo said. "Whatever signals his body sends to them is going to be changing because of the surgery they're doing, but since he also was bitten by multiple snakes we hope that they'll just think that he's struggling to heal from the various poisons or maybe has been recovered and is having basic medical attention."

Byakuya watched as the stretcher with Renji on it disappeared through a door.

"Is there any reason that you couldn't tell me about this?" he asked Ichigo.

"I don't think so," Ichigo admitted. "It's not this part that you couldn't know about it's just that Kisuke-"

Kisuke was there then, standing between the two men.

"Move," Byakuya said, his patience gone, and his hand just itching to use a quick kido bind on both of the shinigami in front of him.

"Ichigo, I told you not to talk to him," Kisuke warned Ichigo.

"I know, I was just letting him-"

"Get started," Kisuke said with a shooing motion. "You remember where to go?"

"Shouldn't I wait for Renji to come to?" Ichigo asked.

"There's nothing good that you can do here right now, all you can do is screw this up," Kisuke assured him.

"Ichigo," Byakuya called out as Ichigo turned.

"Don't be mad," Ichigo said over his shoulder. "I'll explain everything when I get back."

"When will that be?" Byakuya asked.

"An hour, a day, or never," Kisuke replied for Ichigo with a shrug.

Kisuke anticipated Byakuya's sudden move to go after Ichigo, moving in to block his path.

"I haven't seen young Byakuya for a very long time," Kisuke noted.

Byakuya was attempting to not attack the idiot that was in his way, but it required all of his restraint. He let his eyes speak for him, his quiet rage burning out of them and into Kisuke's calm ones.

"Don't you want to check in on your lieutenant?" Kisuke pressed. "I'm needed in there, but I'll stay out here with you as long as I need to."

_Bastard,_ Byakuya thought. _Pitting my desire to make sure that Renji gets well against wanting to know what's happening with Ichigo._

Kisuke just kept looking at him, and Byakuya sighed softly and went to Renji, with the shopkeeper following him.

"You didn't mean that about Ichigo never coming back," Byakuya said, barely making it a question.

"Stranger things have happened," Kisuke murmured. "Time works different in other realms, and maybe they'll just want to keep him."

_Ichigo, where the hell did Kisuke send you?_ Byakuya wondered.

* * *

Ichigo found the small cave only after several hours of searching. He made sure to take off his shoes before entering, and then the rest of his clothes once he was inside. He walked through the narrow passageway, which looked just like any other natural rock formation, wondering if he was in the right place after all.

He wound up in a large room with a high circular ceiling. The room was lit up with glowing roots. In the center of the room was a square flagstone. The rock was red, and outlined in a narrow band of rose quartz. It was clearly manmade, so Ichigo figured he had found the right place after all.

He hesitated before sitting down on the rock, cautiously easing down onto it.

While it was surrounded by the dirt, the rock itself was pristine. It was warm to the touch, and seemed to get warmer as Ichigo situated his body on it.

_Ok, now I just need to remember how to do everything else,_ Ichigo thought. _Kisuke better not have been lying when he said it wasn't kido, otherwise I'm probably going to wind up in the dangai someplace. _


End file.
